Naruto Shattered Dreams
by TwilightLink20xx
Summary: Hot of the events of Naruto vs. Pain, Naruto starts having nightmares about the past, the present, and the future, all while dealing with a new enemy that seems to want one thing: the death of Kohona! Fan Warnings - NaruSaku, slightly modified timeline.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all elements from the series are copyrights of Masashi Kishimoto.  
**

Naruto - Shattered Dreams

By TwilightLink20xx

Warning – Naruto – Shattered Dreams contains recent plot spoilers. If you have not reached Chapter 449 yet, then either do not read this, or prepare to be spoiled. This Fanfic is aimed that the current audience of Naruto reading Part II, however it is open enough that you can jump in at any time, just know that it gives away crucial points of the story.

Fan Warnings – Ah, fandom, it's why these stories exist. Now, here's a quick warning about parings, living characters that may be killed,and setting. If you care about spoilers, well then, you better stop reading this and go elsewhere. If you are still reading this, you're getting no more warning, this is it.

Naruto: Shattered Dreams was written and plotted out before the conclusion of the Pain arc. As such, it is slightly incoherent to the results of the battle. In this continuity, Tsunade does not enter a coma from her actions, and the Kage Summit is moved three months down the line.

This story features quite a bit of Naruto X Sakura material, but refuses to cross a line that the author wishes not to. This is for both personal convictions and for the sake of keeping them in character.

The time frame is around over 2 months following the conclusion of the Pain Arc. I hope you all enjoy Naruto: Shattered Dreams, it was a lot of fun to write this. Plese, Review, comment, and critique it in any fashion you wish, but keep the foul language to a minimun (preferably kept down to none. If you must curse, please star it out completely) and try to make it constructive, learning from mistakes is what we all should do XD. Without further to do, I present to you Naruto: Shattered Dreams!

*************

A chilling air stirred around the bog, waterfalls surrounded the pool, isolated in the middle of nowhere. There were two solitary figures inside of this gorge, one dressed in orange, surrounded by a red hue, the other in blue, a purple haze enveloping his figure. Both were once friends, but here, they were enemies, destined to fight for what would seem to be an eternity.

"Sasuke!" shouted the one in orange, "I'll drag you back to the village, even if it's the last thing I do, so help me God, I won't give up!"

"Shut up, Naruto.", Sasuke replied, "You'll never get that chance, no, today you die!" His hand near the ground he charged up a ball of silver in his hand, glowing with an alien aura. Naruto responded with a blue sphere of his own, staring him down with his bloodshot red eyes.

They leaped in the air, and glided towards each other, each holding their hand out with their spheres in front of them. Sasuke using Chidori, Naruto his Rasengan. As they attacked the other, each was screaming in a feral tone, as Naruto was taking energy from the monster sealed inside of him less than thirteen years ago. Sasuke, however, had the power of the vile Orochimaru, one of the three legendary Sannin of the Leaf Village, on his side. They clashed in the air, and a brilliant white light flashed in front of their eyes, neither sure of how it would end. That is, until Naruto's world went black.....

*****

Naruto gasped as he awakened from his sleep. The sixteen year old shook his head, trying to shake off the nightmare he just had. "Another dream... Why?" groaned Naruto. He looked to his right, and saw the clock, 7:15 AM. Good timing, it was about when he usually got up anyway. He went to the bathroom, showered, and got dressed, dwelling on the thoughts of the dream.

_It's gotta be a coincidence,_ he thought, _We haven't heard anything about him since his fight with Itachi, and that was months ago, a few weeks before Pain had laid waste to the village._ It had been two months since then, and reconstruction was going soundly, if not at a slower pace than what would be preferred, but at least work was getting done.

As he walked out the door, he reached for the red and black robe he'd received from the toads when he returned to the village from sage training. Ever since then, he had tried to keep this and the scroll he carried on his back around, just in case someone tried to attack the village. After all, ever since Jiryah, whom he often called the 'pervy sage', died, the village had been left without a sage for miles. Until he took it up, at least. Leaving for his next assignment, he again thought back to the dream. He'd had that one before, but the conversation was different each time, and even more different than the real memory. He felt like he was starting to feel the lasting effects of this insane manhunt of his. He'd promised his friend Sakura long ago that he'd bring Sasuke back to her, promised to Jiryah that he'd go after him no matter what, and promised Itachi that he'd believe in Sasuke, even if it meant ignorance. Above all, though, he promised himself to live with this as his creed: to never give up, and he was hellbent on keeping his word. Besides, it wasn't just some guy, this was his best friend, the one that really gave him the time of day back then, when everyone looked down on him. _Boy, do times change._ He thought once more.

"Naruto!" a voice shouted from behind him. He turned his back to see a girl, about his age, slightly shorter than him by about two inches or so, though that number seemed to be in constant flux, as Naruto was sprouting up like a bamboo chute. Her hair was a blush pink, bangs brushed to the side, resting to the side of her face, the rest in the back just below her neck. "Wait up!"

"Oh, hey Sakura."Naruto said, slightly confused, "You're usually there by now, what're you doing?"

"Looking for you, Lady Tsunade needs us. Something about a status report about the repairs on the village."

"Oh great, another meeting..... Why do they need me?"

"Same reason they need me, they need to hear what we've been doing."

"Oh, right." Following the attack, Naruto had been put in charge of the reconstruction of the central area, getting the crucial buildings set up, save for the medical facilities, of which Sakura was in charge of. Once in a while, they'd get a mission, but it had been a few weeks since then. Things may have been happening outside of the village, but fixing up the place was the priority. For the most part, the bulk of their clients were being sent to the sand village, their greatest ally. _Boy, I'm sure Gaara's getting a little ticked off about all this... _Naruto thought to himself. He'd been good friends with the Kazekage for years, and was the reason that Gaara wasn't a homicidal maniac. Tsunade told him that this project would be a good way for him to learn what the Hokage does. _If this is what the job really __is, then I see why that pervy sage turned it down!_

"So," Sakura asked Naruto as they walked to the center of town, "How'd you sleep?"

Naruto chuckled, then replied, "You have no idea..."

"I'm going to go with not so well, then... What happened?"

"Just a bad dream, no big deal."

"Oh, okay then." Sakura replied with a smile. She wasn't going to push it, not now anyway. Naruto had been having these dreams for a while now, but they'd become far more common lately.

She needed to keep an eye on that, he didn't show it to people, but she knew he was very emotional. Naruto had been shunned for the bulk of his life, but he never wanted pity. He never cried in public, never moped around, choosing to keep it all bottled up inside. Did he let it go when he was alone? She didn't know, but she certainly hoped so, otherwise.....

"So, what have you been up to today?" Naruto asked. He'd cared about this girl for years now, had a crush on her since he was twelve, before they'd been put on the same squad. Back then, she had a massive crush on Sasuke, who in his mind was his rival, not his friend. Time went on, Sasuke saw who he was, Sakura would follow suit, but she didn't exactly have the best opinion of him until he was thirteen. That's when he made the promise, the one that he'd kept closest to his heart. After all, that wasn't just for her, he had to bring his friend home, there wasn't any way he'd abandon him.

"Not too much, I woke up, got ready for the day, grabbed a bite to eat, then reported to Tsunade about 20 minutes ago. I tried to look for you at the house, but it seems you got up today."

"Hey, if there's one thing I'm not, it's lazy... Well, at least when it isn't a free day." He laughed, then scratched his head. They were almost there. Hopefully the meeting wouldn't be long. Then, maybe he could get some practice time in. That is, if they didn't need to go look over what was going on. The good thing is that most of the hard work was done, and nearly all the vital parts of the village center were done. Actually, it didn't look too bad at all, they had tried to adopt a more modern look to the buildings. He liked it, though he did kind of miss the old look, it brought back some interesting memories, like when Jiryah first took him on as his apprentice. "So, what are you doing for lunch?"

"As of now, nothing." Sakura let out a small smile "Are you offering me a free meal?"

"Maybe...", replied Naruto, a sly grin on his face. "Only if you're up to it, though."

"Alright, but remember, you're paying!"

Naruto laughed. He remembered back when he asked Sakura out for ramen when he first came back. That didn't turn out to well, he was flat broke! Well, he was finally getting paid a decent cut, that's what happens when you go from genin to sage in a few weeks. Speaking of which, he needed to stop by the store, a new game just came out. He needed to go pick it up, he'd pre-ordered it months ago...

They approached the front gate of the central tower. It was here that they met with Lady Tsunade, the fifth and current Hokage. Naruto had been there with Jiryah when they'd first appointed her as the Hokage. First impressions tend to be wrong, and in the case of Tsunade and Naruto, you couldn't get further from the truth. Tsunade thought Naruto was a brat, while Naruto thought of her as a stuck-up old lady that had no respect for those that came before her. Time went by, and now they've each earned the respect of the other, as they'd learned just who they each really were, though Naruto insisted on calling her "grandma" or the "old lady". Not that Tsunade saw it as offensive, on the contrary, that was just the way Naruto was as a kid, and it just became habit for him.

"Master Naruto, Sakura," the doorguard said, "The Hokage is waiting for you in her office, you best not keep her waiting, she seems to be in a bad mood this morning..."

"Alright, thanks." Naruto said, then they headed for the stairs. _Master Naruto... Man, I'm never going to get used to that... _

_Oh great... Another one of those days. _Thought Sakura. As the student of Lady Tsunade, she knew how she could be when she wasn't in a good mood, and it wasn't pretty. "Hey, Naruto, you'd better watch your mouth today."

"Yeah, I know, Grandma'll get all over your case, right?" He laughed.

"It isn't funny, Naruto! You aren't to one who has to deal with her on a daily basis."

"Last I checked, you don't have to either."

"Yeah, but I still see her more often than you, and last time she was like this and you gave her attitude, I was the one she took it out on!"

"Whoa, hold on, I'm sorry! I didn't know about that..." Naruto said, smile gone, a hint of regret in his voice. If there was one thing he wouldn't stand for, it was anyone hurting his friends, especially Sakura. The fact that he'd done it was poison to him. "Don't worry, I won't mouth off, I promise."

"Hey, don't look so glum, it's not that big of a deal!"

"To me it is, it's all in the little things, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The things people see about you. You can do all the good in the world, but if you just totally blow off all your friends, then people will see that person instead. I made the old lady mad, and she took it out on you. That's not being a good friend."

_Wow, he has changed..._ thought Sakura. The change was how he pointed out his mistakes. This wasn't the way he was before he'd left to learn Sage mode. _He's definitely the same Naruto, but he's grown.... I like it. _"Maybe, but don't worry about it, it's in the past, you can't change it. All you can do is prevent it from happening again."

"Which is why I promised that I'd watch it today." replied Naruto as they approached the door of Tsunade's office. "Alright, best behavior, right?" He grinned his typical grin, wide and mischievous. Clearly, some things just don't change...

*****

Darkness, it felt oh so good this morning. _Would these idiots just shut the hell up? Why did I have to get morons like this?Simple, it's the only way I'll get my goal. I've made plenty of compromises before, this one I can deal with. _

"So, Sasuke, what are you going to do about this? My men are starving!" shouted a man, about five-foot eight, slightly shorter than Sasuke. He was the leader of a small group of freelance Ninja that were under the his employment.

"I don't give a damn, they can rot in hell for all I care." Sasuke replied. As far as he was concerned, it would be ridding the world of one more villain. After all, he was simply using them in order to avenge his brother Itachi. It, after all, was that accursed leaf village's fault that his family was killed. Justice needed to be served, and it would be cold, indeed.

"This wasn't part of the deal, Uchiha!"

Sasuke grabbed the man's neck. "How many times am I going to have to repeat myself, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" shouted Sasuke as he slammed the man on the table they were sitting at. "We're going to do things my way, got it?" He threw him into the wall, "Or do I have to convince you with my Sharingan?"

"No, no, no, Sasuke, it's nothing! By all means, we'll try harder next time!"

"You sure as hell had better, or you may just find yourself there...." Sasuke closed his eyes, "Am I clear?"

"Perfectly!" the man said trembling with fear. Sasuke Uchiha had built himself quite a reputation recently as being a notorious employer, but he paid well enough if you succeeded.

"Good... Now, go find that kid, I need to know more about this sage of the leaf's. Find out what he's up to, figure out his weaknesses, learn just how powerful he is. The Akatsuki may be on my side, but they don't know any more than I do. Now, go!" The man ran off in panic, as he went to tell his men their new assignment.

"You know," a voice called from behind Sasuke, "that was a bit harsh, maybe you could have gone a bit softer on him."

"Ah, Madara. Good to see you again. So, you have any news on him?"

"Not recently, but we do know that they still haven't recovered from the... incident..."

"Damn, I was hoping I wouldn't need to rely on those bottom-feeders. Oh well."

"So, when you find him, our deal is still on?"

"Of course. As far as I'm concerned, you can have the bloody Kuubi, all I want is the heads of every person in that village, especially Naruto Uzumaki."

"Why do you hold a grudge against him like that?"

"I have my reasons..."

_*****_


	2. Chapter 2

*****

Naruto looked at the clock on the wall. 11:15 AM. _Dang it, there goes practice... Oh well, at least I have lunch to look forward to. We're almost done anyway._ It had been three hours, lot's of talk about just about everything but what he and Sakura were there for. Talks about raising wages, adding new buildings elsewhere, questioning of Tsunade's abilities from Danzo, to which Naruto and Sakura took care of quite quickly. _That moron, he has no clue what kind of crap she has to put up with. I swear, why haven't we kicked him out of the village yet?_

_"_So, Sakura," asked Tsunade, "how's the work on the medical facilities going?"

"Quite well, actually. Construction on the buildings has finished, now the only thing left is getting the equipment for the hospital and getting the rest of the information from the sand village. Other than that, not too much to say, other than we should be done in a couple of weeks."

_Wow, _Naruto thought, _that was pretty fast, you'd think that we'd still have a month to go on that. Then again, the sand village has been pretty helpful. _

"Any questions for Sakura?" Tsunade asked the rest of the panel, twenty in all. "No? Good, then we'll move on to our last piece of business, Naruto, how are we doing on the rest of the central square?"

"Well," Naruto spoke, "as you can see, we've got this building all finished, with construction done on all but a couple of buildings, both part of the academy, so we don't need to freak out about it, they can still meet outside for now. Besides, it allows them to be in the environment that they'll get used to for a while. As for the inside, we've got four more buildings to furnish, but again, they're the less important buildings, all of our necessary buildings are done. Not that the academy buildings aren't important, but we need to focus on protecting the village, I'm sure you all agree with me on this, right?"

There were no objections to Naruto's thoughts. "Anything else, Naruto?"

"No ma'am, that's all."

"Good. Well then, meeting adjourned. Except for you two." Tsunade pointed at Naruto and Sakura. "I need to speak with you two about something." There was a bit of frustration in her voice.

_Oh crap, _Naruto thought, _If this is about Danzo, I'm gonna be really pissed, I finally got Sakura to go out with me, and we're stuck here dealing with a blasted traitor!_

"Naruto, Sakura, what was the meaning of that outburst at Danzo?" She had a good frown on her face. Danzo was one of the elders, and was supposed to have their respect.

"With all due respect, Lady fifth," Sakura said, "Danzo was questioning your ability to serve as Hoakge!"

"And is he not entitled to his opinion?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what, Sakura? We have to let him have a voice, people agree with him, whether we like it or not."

"But Grandma Tsunade," Naruto interjected, "this is the same scum that tried to take you down while Pain stomped the village into the ground!"

"There's not enough evidence to prove this, Naruto. And even if there were, it's better for him to be out in the open, that way we can keep an eye on what he's doing."

"True, true.."

Tsunade took a pause. _Time to change the subject._"So, what do you think of the job, not what you expected, right?"

"Pretty much. I'm not so sure that Hokage is what I want to do anymore..."

"You're just like Jiryah was... Well, we'll see. Don't worry, it isn't all paperwork like that, I just wanted you to get a taste of the boring part. What, you thought it would be all fun and games?"

"Good point."

"Well, it's about lunch time, I'd better let you two go then. Where you headed off to?"

"Well, Sakura and I were going to go get some ramen."

"Whoa there, did I hear that right, Sakura?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, "you heard right, but it's nothing like that."

"It isn't?" Naruto asked Sakura, eyebrow raised.

"Of course not!"

"Oh, okay." Naruto laughed. "No, I knew that already. But hey, you never know!"

_Hmm..._ Tsunade thought, _Does Sakura really mean that? It doesn't look like that's the case. There's something in her eyes when she's around that boy. Naruto's got it pretty good, but something doesn't look right about him... Knowing Sakura, she's already brought it up, I'd better not, she can handle this._

"Well then, you two have a good time, you've got the rest of the day off, so relax. Naruto, don't go training today, save your strength for tomorrow, we've got a little mission for you two. You may like this one."

"Hey, why are you calling me out?"

"Simple, because Sakura actually takes days off."

"Oh, right..."

Tsunade pulled Sakura aside for a moment, then whispered into her ear, "Sakura, keep an eye on Naruto, something's up, I can tell."

"I know," she whispered back, "I'll fill you in later." _Naruto, _she thought, _what are these bad dreams about? It's gotta be something big... Sasuke, or is it something else... Something worse?_

*****

The leader stood just outside of the gates, he was dressed as a simple traveler, he brought no Kunai, no radios, no paper, simply himself and the clothes on his back. He got in no problem, he was a no name in the world of espionage, but that was good: it meant you were one of the best. No fake aliases, no criminal record, just a regular upstanding citizen that happened to be practicing in illegal activity. He was the one they called the shadow, and he was good at this job.

_Now... where would I find this Naruto Uzumaki? Ah, _now he remembered, it was lunch time. Last he checked, Uzumaki was a teenager,_ and where else would he be for lunch other than a Ramen bar? Simple, nowhere. _This is why Uchiha hired him, because he blended in. This is what a true ninja sought to be able to do._ Now.... Where is that bloody ramen bar again?_

*****

"So," Sakura asked, "what happened last night?" They were at the ramen bar, Ichiaku's place was one of the ones that somehow managed to be located in the right place, as it was far away from the area that was wasted.

"I already told you, nothing, just a bad dream." replied Naruto. He took a swig from his drink, "Why are you so insistent on this?"

"Because, Naruto, I know you better. You try to keep what you're feeling inside, it's not good. I should know, I still do that too..."

Naruto sighed. "It's not that simple, Sakura. I don't want pity from anyone. Not even you, especially not from you."

"It's not pity, it's concern. I don't see the Naruto everyone else sees, or even the one you think you are. What I see is the real Naruto, the one that's always trying to look at the bright side of things, the one that's determined, the one that will stop at nothing to do anything for his friends. But what I also see is that you're hurting. That dream you had, what was it about?"

Naruto looked down, whatever smile he had had when they first got here had completely faded away. He looked up at Sakura, "I dreamed about the fight with Sasuke. When he knocked me out, three years ago. But it was different. It wasn't the same conversation we'd had before. It was more like when we'd last seen him, when he said he'd kill me on a whim. But it wasn't like that time either..." He took some of his ramen and ate it, wiped his mouth, then said, "Sakura... I... Well... Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I think I do." She took a sip from her drink, "It sounds like it's just a nightmare, what you need," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "is to cheer up a little. Try not to worry about it, it's probably nothing, just stress. I know you've been under pressure lately, being the new sage and all."

"I guess I didn't think about that..." Naruto scratched his head _Is it really that simple? Maybe... She knows more about this than I do, that's for sure. _"Thanks, Sakura." They proceeded finishing their lunch, chatted a bit, then left for their day of relaxation. Meanwhile, a man on the far side of the bench paid for his meal then left as unnoticed as he had appeared.

*****


	3. Chapter 3

*****

Naruto headed back to his home, he needed to grab a couple of things, then he'd train. _Grandma and Sakura may want me to relax, but there's nothing else to really do right now. Well, save for maybe getting that game, but that can wait, I need to clear my head. If Sakura's right, then this should all just be in my head, easy to fix._

He walked into his room, grabbed his extra kunai, a couple of snacks for later, and the receipt from the store so he could pick up his game when he was done. _I won't practice too long, an hour, maybe two hours tops. If I leave the TV on with a DVD in it, no one'll notice that I'm not here. I just got to make sure that no one sees me...Hmm... _Naruto took off his cloak and scroll, placing them by his bed. He'd just have to come back for them when he was done, he'd need to shower anyway. Thank God his request for private bathrooms worked out, it wasn't necessary, but it was kind of nice to be able to take your time and not have to wait in line.

He took off his headband and jacket, it wasn't that cold anyway, putting on a long sleeved t-shirt instead. Hopefully he'd not stick out as much, but considering the amount of people that have spiky blond hair in the village, he'd probably still be recognized. Oh well, they'd assume he was taking the day off. He turned on the TV, popped in one of his favorite shows, and turned the volume up to where it normally was. Three hours. If he wasn't back by then, then people would be suspicious. Well, he'd just have to make sure that he kept an eye on time. Naruto grabbed a watch on his nightstand, right next to his copy of the Team 7 photo.

He took a moment to look at it, this reminder of what he was trying to accomplish. Unity, that's what he had been seeking ever since he left. _Why the heck am I even doing this?_ Naruto thought, _Simple, he was my best friend. What kind of person abandons those he cares about? He was like a brother, there's no way I'm going to let him fall off the cliff and become evil, he can still change!_ Naruto had asked himself that question many times before, and that was always his answer. But this time, it seemed kind of empty. What if he was too late? What if Sasuke was dead, or worse, trying to kill him? No, he wasn't going to think like that, it wasn't too late. The second that the village was finished, he'd get back to work on finding Sasuke.

Naruto left the room and walked to the training grounds as casually as possible. No one seemed to notice him, good, because the second Tsunade or Sakura caught wind of this... He shook his head, that wasn't going to happen. _I'll just come up with an excuse, let's go with polo, that'll explain the bruises._

As he approached the front gate, he looked to his left, then the right. There was no one in sight... Except a man that was sitting down on a bench a few hundred feet back. He seemed lost, maybe he should help him? He looked back and saw no one. _Strange, maybe he'd run into someone, a friend, perhaps? Oh well, it doesn't matter._ He walked through the gates, then put down the bag he'd brought with him.

Suddenly, he reached down for his Kunai, and blocked a shurikan from hitting him in the head. Naruto immediately went into defensive mode, squatting down, trying to figure out where it came from. He looked left and right, then up towards the trees. He squinted, trying to make out the shape of the person in the tree. _Oh crap..._

*****

It was around two o'clock, and this was the domain of Sasuke Uchiha, a simple chunk of desert land in the middle of nowhere. It was near where the sound village once was, but far enough from that place so they'd not be noticed. Good, because Kohona was what he was after. When Pain had destroyed the village those three months ago, he was virtually unphased. Forget the bloody village itself, it was the people in there that damned his clan, that led to the fall of his brother. To hear that the village was in shambles was music to his ears; it made his job easier, they'd be weakened. Not that he was a simple vulture, no, but because he knew that something powerful was there. And if he was released...

He looked back upon his nightstand, a crude box that stored his few earthly belongings, and opened it up. Lots of things in here he'd not looked at for years. He skimmed through it, finding kunai, clothes he'd outgrown, papers he'd written, but then he stumbled upon two things he'd not seen in a very, very long time. He took them out of the box and held them. He gazed at one, then the other. The first was his headband from the leaf village. It was still on the blue strip of cloth it had been on when he first received it, in good condition, with only a few stray threads. But the symbol, it had a massive gash in the center. This was from Naruto during that fight they had oh so long ago, it had been three years. The other item was the picture of Team 7.

_Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto..._Sasuke thought, _how the hell did I get here. This is wrong. I know it. But... They're wrong too. Because of Kohona, I ended up cursed by Orochimaru. Because of Naruto, the Akatsuki wanted something from the leaf village, and Itachi joined them. Because of the people like Sakura, I had to deal with people who could never understand me, who needed me as their crutch. Because of the elders, which I'm certain Kakashi is one of them now, I have to live with this torment!_

Sasuke took the picture in his hand, crumpled it, and then used a handsign to light it and the headband on fire. He watched in horror at the deed he'd just committed, he just destroyed all he had left of his childhood, if you could even call it that. He shed a tear, a solitary tear that he wiped from his face. _Why? Why must these bonds keep me from my goal? Simple, they're but a test. I said all those years ago, that I was an avenger. I will have revenge for my family, for my brother. I will make sure that the people who set him up for that will pay. It's all Naruto's fault! If the 4__th__ Hokage had lived on, maybe things would have been different. If the Akatsuki didn't exist, then maybe Itachi would never have had to kill my family. Now, Naruto Uzumaki, we have a new bond. You are my enemy, the very reason that I live in this misery. I will make you feel pain beyond whatever you have ever felt before. I will make sure that you get a good taste of the misery that I've endured for these nine and a half years. I will break you on every level, and I will make sure that you understand what it's like to lose everything you ever cared for. YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, NARUTO UZUMAKI!!!!!_

_*****_


	4. Chapter 4

_*****_

"Hold it right there, Naruto," a voice called out, "just what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh crap..."

Sakura jumped out of the tree just by the gate, landing right in front of Naruto. "Come on, you heard what Tsunade said. What are you doing here?"

"I was, uh....... Going to play polo?"

Sakura sighed, "Naruto, we don't have a polo field. Do you even know what it is?"

"Uh, that's the one with the horses and mallets and the ball, where you try to hit it into the goal, right?"

"Wow, didn't know you knew that much."

"Well, I try." Naruto let out another snarky grin.

Sakura punched Naruto's shoulder, just hard enough to make her point."Didn't you hear Tsunade? You're supposed to relax, we're leaving tomorrow, and I have a feeling that you're going to need your strength."

"Aw, come on, Sakura, this IS relaxing! Besides, I was just going to practice for an hour at the most, more like half and hour. I still have to pick up my game, anyway."

"Okay, fine then, you get half an hour,"

"Thank you, soooo much,"

"But don't overdo it!"

Naruto ran up the tree, directly in front of him, pulled out his kunai, and leaped from the top to the next one, aiming at the next tree. He threw the Kunai at a target, smaller than the fingernail on his pinkie. Direct hit. _Not bad..._ He landed on the ground with a soft thud, not making a single sound. Then the tips of the trees fell to the ground. He ran back towards the gate, ducking all the objects that were falling. Of all the exercises he'd come up with, this one was probably his favorite. He was doing just fine. That is, until his world went black....

*****

His men were all over the city and they didn't even suspect it. That's why he and his men were the best spy ring in the area. Because they weren't known, so there was no way for anyone to suspect what they were. He had left that afternoon after he saw what the target looked like and given a satellite phone to one of the head opps in the city. Uchiha would be pleased, indeed. He walked up to the tent that Sasuke Uchiha now called home, entering with a smile on his face.

"So, what did you find out?" Asked Sasuke, wearing his long black trenchcoat with red clouds. He wasn't a full member, but Hawk worked with them... Well, at least when they were Hawk...

"Naruto is indeed the Sage, though a bit younger than I expected. Acts like a typical 16 year old, but otherwise, he's a hard man to break. But you knew all that already. No, what I found out..." The phone he kept on his person cried out in an electronic screech, "Was that you may have a shot at taking him out... Right here, tomorrow." He pointed out a specific place on the map. It was a place that had been friendly with Kohona for a few years now.. None other than the Village hidden in the Sand.

"Damn it, Gaara will make things...Interesting.... Hmm, the time's not quite right... I'll wait, patience.... Now.." He said as he grabbed the kunai on his desk, throwing it at the man known as Shadow, missing by a mere quarter of an inch, "Get the hell out of here, and try to cause an accident... I'm not ready yet, and I need this window!"

Shadow began to walk out when he then said, "By the way, Sasuke, I hear he's got a close friend with him. Maybe you ought to do something about her while you're at it..." He left a far different way than the last time he'd left the tent. Maybe things were looking up again. That paycheck sounded good...Really good!

_Damn it!_ Sasuke thought, _Why now!?! My Makengyo has been on the fritz, and I don't have enough power... Whatever, Naruto is the priority, I can kill the others later. Close friend, a her, no doubt, it's Sakura. Hmm, I wonder.... Those two? No, it couldn't be... Could it? Oh boy, if this is true, then I think I just got my ace in the hole. I still need a few more days.. But... It couldn't be any easier... Pain may have beat me to killing your so called father, but now I'll take something even more precious to you, Naruto, mark my words. You will lose it all, and then you shall feel __my__ pain!_

*****

Naruto awoke and rubbed his head. Where was he? He got up, and found himself in his Sage robes. Weird, hadn't he taken them off? He looked around, trying to remember what had happened. _I was at the training grounds.... This isn't the grounds....This is the desert! _Naruto looked to see if he could see anyone, when something hit him in the back. He shrieked in pain, not sure what it was or where it was coming from. Something was in his back, and that was when he heard a voice.

"How do you like that, Naruto?" It said, cold and familiar, "You think you've felt my pain? Oh, this is only the beginning"

Naruto grunted, he tried to get up, but he couldn't manage to get the strength he needed. "Sasuke..."

"You may be wearing that cape and scroll, but you haven't changed one bit since our last encounter. I expected more from you..." He removed the blade from Naruto's back, shoving him onto the ground. "Any last words?"

Naruto chuckled, "What do you mean, last words, we've only just begun!" He got up, scar on his back beginning to heal, and pulled out a Kunai from the holder on his thigh. "He jumped in the air, flipped twice, then landed behind Sasuke, landing a punch on the back of his head. _That should do something!_

Sasuke laughed, "You will never learn, will you?" Sasuke turned around, unphased from the blow, then slashed at Naruto. It was blocked by Naruto's kunai. Sasuke sheathed his sword hastily, then formed handsigns, releasing a few fireballs towards Naruto. He managed to dodge all but the last one, which singed the tip of his cloak. He rolled, putting out the fire, then grabbed his Kunai again, aiming for Sasuke's head.

Naruto let out a feral scream as he tried to take Sasuke down, yet as he did this, he doubted his actions. _What am I doing, I'm about to kill my best friend! I don't even know why I'm here! _He hears a voice, but it isn't Sasuke's, and it isn't his.

"Naruto!" It cries out. "Naruto!" It's Sakura.

He turns around, then shouts, "Sakura, stay out of this, it isn't your fight!" He turns around again, only to get impaled in the arm by Sasuke's katana. Naruto shrieked.


	5. Chapter 5

*****

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted as he jumped up from his sleep. He looked at his arm, nothing, no blood, no scars, just a tingling feeling that was starting to go away, same with his back. He looked around, then checked his watch. 3:30. _Thirty minutes? No, it couldn't have been..._ He looked to his left to see Sakura kneeling next to him. "Oh, hey Sakura.. Uh... What just happened?"

"You tell me," Sakura replied, "I'm not the one who got knocked out. This is exactly why Lady Tsunade told you not to train today, I knew I should have stopped you..."

"Hey, my fault, not yours." He took a breath. "Wow, that was a bizarre dream."

"What happened this time?"

"Oh, nothing, I was in the desert, fighting Sasuke... But that's all it was." He didn't want to tell her that she was in it, that make her worry, and that was the last thing he wanted.

"Well then why did you shout my name?"

"I'm not sure... Just the first thing I thought of, I guess."

She didn't buy it, not one bit, but again, she'd not push him, she'd already asked him about the last one during lunch. They had all of tomorrow to talk about it, she'd just ask then. _Hopefully he doesn't have another dream tonight, two in one day is quite enough._

"Well then," Sakura said, "We'd better get going. You might want to clean up, that doesn't look too appealing."

Naruto looked down, his face was covered with mud and dried blood, shirt covered with mud. "Yeah, I think I might want to change... Hey, when did you find me, and how long were you sitting there?"

"Not too long, a few minutes. I hadn't heard anything for a while, so I went to check on you, and sure enough, there you were. Lying on the ground with a bloody nose, face planted on the ground."

"Eh, go figure. This is one of those times I'm thankful I have this guy here." he said as he pointed to his stomach. The nine-tailed fox's healing was one of the things he didn't mind having. He rubbed his nose. It felt a little sore, but it was in the right place, didn't feel like the cartilage had broken, so he wasn't hit too hard there. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then." Naruto left to his house, he needed to get cleaned up, and fast, before Tsunade saw him. Then he'd go get that game...

*****

Sakura looked at Naruto as he left the training area. She worried about him more than he'd ever know. Naruto had been there for her whenever she needed him, it was the least she could do. In the three years she'd known him as a friend, it was only in the past two years that she'd realized just what he'd done for her. He went out of his way to make sure she was okay. Not that he didn't do the same for his other friends, but he always seemed ready to help her out. _That's why we're in this mess... Me. I can't believe that I let this happen, If only I wasn't so __**stupid**__ when I was younger!_

But she knew good and well what Naruto would tell her. 'It wasn't your fault', he'd say, 'I would have gone after him anyway. The promise was for you to know what I meant to do.' But it didn't matter anymore, she'd said so many times now that it didn't matter to her, that he could let him go. But he wouldn't, it was against his nindo, he said time after time. All that for a girl that had hardly given him the time of day...

She continued to think as she headed home, she needed to check on a few things before she went to talk to Tsunade about the dreams. Things changed when he came back. They were no longer the same. She'd grown stronger, learned medicinal jutsu, but Naruto, he'd learned all kinds of new things. He had become a true ninja, the level of most Jonin, the elite ninja, not a lowly Genin. But technically she outranked him, she was Chunin. But that was far from what she'd seen. Granted, he was still the same Naruto, just a bit smarter and a little wiser. Although he still needed to work on those manners of his, but who could blame him, he had no parents. That is, until Jiraiyah took him under his wing. But even then, he wasn't exactly perfect...

She'd gotten a true sense of what he had to deal with when she saw him in the valley, fighting Orochimaru. He had unleashed the 4th tail of the fox, the monster sealed inside him, and he'd lost himself. He wasn't Naruto, but he was, and he'd given himself up just so he could save his friends. She saw this, again, as her fault. She tried to stop him, but it didn't work. From then on out, there was no turning back, she still felt useless, but she wanted to help Naruto. She found herself crying for him. It wasn't pity, it was regret. Regret that it ended up this way.

Not much happened for a while, he'd broken his arm using a new jutsu, but that was about it. Then Jiraiyah died, and he took it hard. There was nothing she could do for him, she'd never lost her own parents, so there was no way she could understand what he was going through. When he'd left for sage training, she hoped that he'd recover. He hadn't . When he came back, he was hit by a flurry of emotions, seeing the village destroyed. If not for Tsunade, she herself would have been amongst the casualties.

Now it had been three months since then, and Naruto was getting worse each day. Sure, he'd finally let go of Jiraiya's death, but he'd started having these dreams of his. She'd blown them off at first as a lack of good sleep, but the past few weeks, she'd taken them seriously. Naruto was hurting... And she hated it. How much did he mean to her now? She herself wasn't sure anymore. Love, yes, but what kind? Was he her brother, or something more?

No time for that, she needed to tell Tsunade what was going on. She entered her home and checked her answering machine. Naruto had gotten phones installed into the compounds, a nice little extra, though he did seem to call a bit too much. That, and the prank calls that he left once in a while were pretty stupid. She saw there were no messages, then went to go wash up quickly, she didn't need Lady Tsunade catching on to them being at the training grounds. She was walking towards the bathroom when out of nowhere she found her mouth covered and her neck gripped by a man.

She fought back, smacking the guy hard with her elbow into his jaw. He screamed in pain, his jaw broken, blood streaming from the wound, staining the carpet. He left as quickly as he came, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sakura looked at the place he once stood, and panicked. _Oh God, how'd he get in here!?! That's right... I forgot to close the window this morning, darn it Sakura, you idiot! I can't believe I let my guard down like that... _She began to sink down to the floor, and curled up into a ball. _Naruto... Is it really me they want, or is it him? Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God... I gotta __tell Lady Tsunade! I better take care of this blood first... And shut that blasted window._

*****

Sakura dashed into the office of Lady Tsunade, the fifth hokage. This wasn't the way she usually behaved, something was up, and she doubted that it was about Naruto. "Sakura, what's the meaning of this?"

"Forgive me, lady fifth, but we have a situation. I think that someone has entered the village, and they want Naruto!"

Evidently not..."Okay, slow down, Sakura, what do you mean? Has someone gone after him?"

"Not exactly, I had left my window open, and some guy jumped me in my apartment!"

"Did you recognize him? Was he a traveler, or a member of the village, or what?"

"No, I hadn't seen him before, but he was a ninja, and he wore no headband. I know, he used a substitution jutsu as soon as I knocked him away."

_Oh crap, _Tsunade thought, _I've heard of these people before, but never seen them. If she's right, then someone's hiring mercenaries to get Naruto. The Akatsuki? No, they're not that weak. But who else would want the Kuubi? _It didn't matter now, what was important was that they stop the threat then and there. "Sakura, get over to Naruto's apartment and get him over here! We need to know what the heck is going on here!"

Sakura nodded, "Right!" She ran out the door as quickly as she had entered, one thing on her mind: to go get Naruto. Hopefully he wasn't out on the street, he may be able to take them down, but if they flank him, that wouldn't be good.

*****


	6. Chapter 6

*****

"Ah, Shadow," Sasuke said to the man entering the room, "How is the distraction working?"

"We have a situation. It seems that we may have caused a little confusion in their minds about the motives behind the attack." Shadow said. There was a slight tinge of nervousness in his voice, but it was minuscule compared to the excitement that was rushing through his veins. "It seems one of my men tried to go after that girl I told you about earlier, so they've raised an alarm."

"So they think that you're going after Naruto. No doubt they think that you want the Kuubi..." Sasuke grunted, then sucker punched Shadow, "Damn it, Shadow, they'll be on to me! But... Yes, that may work. Keep going with that as our plan, forget it as a distraction. Try, honestly try to get Naruto. Don't spend too much time doing this, another hour, then get out of there. You get him, good job. Otherwise, you've done all I needed. Get out."

Shadow wiped his bleeding lip, snarled, then left. Why the hell did he put up with this? Simple, it was a pay of a lifetime...

"By the way, you won't be needed anymore after this. Thank you for your services, you'll get your payment is outside." _He went after Sakura, damn it! Why the hell do these idiots never listen? I didn't want them to get Naruto for me, just cause chaos! Oh well, if they bring him to me, I'll still get the glory of taking his head. Now... What next? Simple, I'll wait for the time to be right. I need to plant someone in there, but mercs aren't the way to go, that's how I got in the bloody mess... Hmm... I know exactly who to talk to... I wonder, though.. Would it work? Oh hell yes...Yes it will._

_*****_

Naruto stepped out of the shower, and got dressed. Man, it felt good to clean up. He grabbed the scroll on the ground, and then was ready to head out when he heard the doorbell. _Hmm, wonder who that could be._ He walked to the table and grabbed his receipt, he still needed to get that game. The doorbell rang frantically, at an alarming rate, the door banged on. _Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. What's going on?_

Naruto ran over and unbolted the door, opening it to see Sakura about to band the door again, tears streaming down her face. "Sakura, you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto!" she said, "Come with me, we think that someone's after you."

"What are you talking about, no one's around!"

"They came after me, they wanted to bait you!"

_Oh God, how'd they know about that? _Naruto shook the thought off, "Okay, where we headed to?"

"The Hokage palace, hurry, we need to get there as fast as possible, we don't want anyone else getting hurt. If we keep you in a controlled, visible place, we shouldn't have any problems."

He nodded, and they ran towards the house. A few hundred feet later, and sure enough, people were after them. _Perfect. _Naruto grinned, _Looks like I get to have a little fun with these guys..._

One leaped after his target, and was sent flying back by a fist, another tried from the side, and was pushed back. Suddenly, another of these mysterious ninja came at him from the front, and he jumped, making the guy's attack hit his allies. They continued their sprint, and made it into the palace.

"Sakura, which room?"

"The office, it's the most visible place."

"Perfect, get to the stairs, fast!" They opened the door to the stairwell. They'd done some renovations on the palace, one of which was making the stairs of the palace visible because of glass. It was a nice touch, but this wasn't exactly the best time to have glass...

Mercenaries jumped towards them, breaking through the wall. Sakura shoved one out the building, sending him to his doom. Naruto sent two flying back to where they'd come from, and they continued their ascent. They were on the ground floor and needed to get to floor nine; this could be interesting.

Floor two passed by without a hitch, they got to floor three, and were attacked by more mercs that had entered a floor above where they were prior. Naruto grabbed a kunai, and threw it at the group, flipping over them while carry Sakura, sticking his landing, putting her down and they resumed their sprint. The kunai exploded. It was paper bomb. They fell hook, line and sinker for that one.

Floor four, no problems. Floor five, nothing, had that been all of them? Suddenly, there was an answer to that. They had a summons user, and he had a massive bird. They continued running, keeping an eye on the animal. One of the riders pulled something out, some kind of weapon... _Oh crap,_ Naruto thought, _ is that a-_

The glass melted away at a rapid speed, and flames began to enter the stairwell. Flamethrower_! How on earth did they afford one of those!?!? _Naruto picked Sakura up and ran for his life, he wasn't going to let anyone be hurt because of him. The beast continued to follow them as they continued higher and higher, the other passengers throwing fireproof paper bombs at his feet. Floor eight.

_Just one more floor and I can get you out of harm's way, just hold on, Sakura!_

Naruto ran faster then he ever had, rushing towards the door, he threw it open, put Sakura down and slammed the door behind him. It may look like wood, but there was no way it was going to catch on fire. Naruto stood before the mass of people coming for him. _Dear lord, this had better work! _Naruto formed handseals and sent a massive gust of wind at his attackers, warding off the flames, sending people flying. Naruto fell to his knees, trying to get his breath back. Almost there, he just had to get to the room. He turned around and opened the door, Sakura standing there in shock.

Naruto's face was covered in soot, no blood, but he did have a couple of scrapes. "Well, so much for that shower..." He laughed. "You okay?"

Sakura nodded, "I should be asking you that. Come on, let's go."

They entered the office, Tsunade stood in front of them. "Well," she said, "so much for a relaxing day."

"You've got that right." Naruto replied. He tried to get his breath back again, he'd really pushed himself back there. His pulse was pounding like a sledgehammer. He may be powerful, but he was still human. He looked back up at the window to find one of the mercenaries smash the window, kunai in hand, rushing towards him. Naruto was angry about that last attack, that was uncalled for. They'd almost hurt Sakura, and it would have been his fault. He rushed him, and grabbed him by the neck, decking him on the floor and then restrained him. Naruto quickly used a paralysis jutsu on him, he wasn't getting away from him.

Sakura looked at the person that Naruto had captured. A haunting sense of fear was in her eyes. She recognized him, it was the same person who tried to kidnap her, thus the bandage on his chin.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"I think I've seen him before." She replied.

Naruto growled at the merc. He slapped him across the face, "What the heck are you? You tried to kidnap my friend here, and went into her house, what's wrong with you?!?! Who do you work for?"

"Heh," the man said, "What difference does it make, he works for someone else. Your beef isn't with Shadow."

"I've heard of them," Tsunade replied, "A mercenary group that specializes in espionage and covert opps, it's made up of missing-nin from all over the continent. Shadow's the name of the leader as well, but no one knows who he is or what he looks like."

"So," Naruto asked, "Who hired you guys?"

He chuckled, "Why the hell should I tell you?"

Naruto smacked his face again, "You're lucky I'm feeling generous today, I ought to kill you for what you've tried to do. Now tell me, who's the one who decided on this plan?"

"Technically, me. I figured we'd sucker the big guy out of a few extra bucks. Looks like it didn't work too well."

"Clearly. If you made that call, what did your big boss want?"

"Just a distraction, I figured this would be a good one. He's after you, Uzumaki, and he wants all your heads. Especially yours." the paralysis jutsu wore off. "Now, if you'd excuse me, our time is up." He threw up a few handsigns and fled in a puff of smoke. Just like before.

So, it couldn't have been the Akatsuki? No, they wanted Naruto, not the village. So who was left? Kabuto? Danzo? No, it could only be one person. _No... _Naruto thought, _No, it couldn't be, could it? No! Is it too late? Is what Itachi had said about Sasuke coming true? Does he really want to kill us all? _

"Well, now that this mess is settled," Tsunade said, "You can go ahead and go now. Looks like we're going to have to fix that glass again. Oh well, at least the stairs themselves weren't damaged."

Naruto left for his home, head heavy. He really looked forward to that shower now. He'd stop by the store on his way home, he needed to get away from reality for a while...

*****

Sakura and Tsunade both took a deep breath. "Now, Sakura," Tsunade said, "Our meeting. What's been happening to that boy?"

"It's those dreams of his. He's been having them a lot lately."

Tsunade nodded, "So you've told me. How's the progress on those, better, worse?"

"Worse, much worse. He wasn't himself this morning. At all. I talked to him this afternoon about it. He's still struggling with Sasuke, trying to keep believing that he can bring him back."

"And you think that this is an issue?"

"Yes, I do! Part of why he's doing this is my fault."

"You know what he'd tell you."

"I know, but it doesn't change the facts. It's beside the point. Anyway, he had a dream about the failed retrieval plan from three years ago. He said the dialogue was different, though. Something about

being closer to what he'd said when we last saw him. I thought it was stress, but that isn't the case. He went training today, and-"

"Training?"

"Yes ma'am, I know, I should have tried to stop him, but you know how he can be."

"Don't worry about it, anyway, you were saying?"

"He was training and didn't notice a tip of a tree he'd sliced down, and it knocked him out. I didn't ask him too much about it, but he was really upset. He said it had to do with him fighting with Sasuke in the desert.. And he shouted my name when he woke up."

"Did he now?"

"Lady Tsunade, you know as well as I do what Naruto thinks of me."

"And from the look in your eyes, it seems the feeling is mutual."

Sakura was slightly shocked, but not so much that it caught her off guard. "What do you mean?"

"Sakura, I think that your worrying for Naruto is good, but I can tell it's more that just worrying for a friend or a brother. It could be dangerous. You need to be absolutely sure that you don't put it all on him, otherwise you could end up hurting yourself. Or worse, hurt Naruto. I know, Jiraiyah put it all on me, and he, well, you know what happened to him."

Sakura nodded, "I know what you mean, I'm not sure what it is I'm feeling. I mean, he and I have been friends for years now, but it wasn't until he came back that first time that I started seeing something about him that I never saw before. It was him, the real him, not the mask he wears around. But I feel like I'd be a burden, I can hardly do anything for him..."

"I have a feeling that's not what Naruto sees in you. I think he feels like he's a burden to you."

"Why would you say that?"

"Oh, I've known him for a while now myself, and he reads like a book if you look closely. Now, you'd better get going. I still need you two to go out on the mission, it's imperative, we need to get those book here fast. Oh, and Sakura..."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

"Don't bury your feelings. If you really have them, show them. Maybe Naruto will do the same."

_*****_

His name was Kabuto Yakushi, and he was ticked off. How on earth did this freak find him? It didn't matter, he had a business proposal, and he was willing to accept it. "So, Sasuke, you've finally seen what Orochimaru was trying to show you, huh?"

"Just shut the hell up about him, Kabuto." Sasuke replied, spitting on the ground, "I don't worship him like the god you've made him."

"But he is immortal, you know that yourself, don't you?"

Sasuke thew a punch at Kabuto, it missed. "Funny, last I checked, Itachi got rid of the bloody demon for me, thank you very much."

"Well, let's not dwell on our disagreements, it's besides the point. The point is we both want revenge on Kohona, and if Naruto's the dunderhead I think, then he'll let me in no problem."

"Perfect. Now, how long do you think you're going to take to get news to me?"

"Not long at all, I have my sound ninja here, and I can relay the info to them, and have them forward it to you. They'll not suspect a thing."

"You know what Kabuto, I wonder why we didn't think of this earlier..."


	7. Chapter 7

*****

Naruto laid his head down to sleep, and drifted back into the darkness. He opened his eyes to find himself in a familiar place. It was the middle of nowhere again. The desert. This time, though, it was much faster. He was stabbed in the back, and went through the same ritual as last time, but this time, it would end differently.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out.

"Sakura, stay out of this, it isn't your fight!" Naruto shouted once more. He was stabbed in the arm, wincing in pain. But this time, the dream didn't end. Naruto grabbed the sword and ripped it out of his arm, throwing it towards Sasuke. They continued their battle, fist hitting bone. Sasuke dived for his katana, while Naruto rushed at him with his kunai.

He threw it at Sasuke, hitting him dead center into the heart, but he hurled his katana at him the last second, using the last of his chakra to lock him into paralysis. The blade flew right at him, and time slowed down. He heard nothing but the terrible laughter of a maniac. All he saw was was a flash of white, red, and pink. He tried to scream, but his voice had deserted him. The last thing he saw was a stream of blood flying in the air.

*****

Naruto awoke tears streaming down his face, the pain from the wounds was fading.... Or was it? Naruto checked his arm. He saw a massive gash, about the size of a typical stab from a katana. _What the heck, how'd I get that? _He looked to check the time. 7:00 AM, he woke up around the same time as usual. But what was that on the nightstand? _Oh God..._ It was a kunai, and it was soaked with blood. He felt his back. No blood, just sweat, and a lot of it. What just happened? Had he just cut himself in his sleep? Why, he hadn't last time. He also didn't sweat nearly as much. _Sakura....._ Naruto walked up to the mirror, looking into it. He saw his eyes, red veins popping out. He was still crying this whole time.

"What on earth is happening to me?" He rubbed his head and jumped into the shower. He needed to clear his head and cleanse the wound. It was already starting to heal, thanks to the Kyuubi. He cleared his mind of the dream. Nothing was going to happen, not like that. Sasuke wasn't against him, not yet. Sakura wasn't going to take the blade for him. If anything, it would be him for her. That's how it was supposed to work, right? He continued to think, his mind couldn't shake the thoughts off. He managed to suppress them, though.

What happened in that game he had played last night? Oh, right, the hero took out that massive space ship because he was some kind of weapon. Cool cinematic, too. What did he say again? Oh, right 'What the hell am I?'. He wouldn't have put it that way, but that's a lot like how he felt right now...

He turned off the shower, dried off and got dressed. What was his mission going to be? Were they even going on it still? Of course they were, Sakura called him up last night to tell him about that. Speaking of which, he wondered how her night had gone. Must have been interesting, probably paranoid because of that attack last night. He would be too if someone jumped in and tried to kidnap him. Well, maybe not kidnap him, more like rob him. That'd suck, he'd lose his collection of games, movies and books. Jiraiyah gave him almost every single one of them, he really was like a father...

There was a knock at the door. _I wonder who that could be..._ He checked his arm, it was scabbed up, but that wouldn't look good. He put on his cloak, if it was who he thought it was, he'd be headed right out of there. He opened the door, and sure enough, it was Sakura. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I just came by to check on you, make sure you were okay."

Naruto nodded, scratching his head like he always did. "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"Don't play that with me, I know you weren't feeling so good last night. You get enough sleep?"

"Yeah," he said looking down, rubbing his arm, "Just enough. And you?"

"Pretty well, although I had a little trouble getting to bed, I thought way too much about the guy getting into the room." She laughed, then noticed that Naruto was still rubbing his arm. "Hold on," she said grabbing his arm, "What do we have here..." She pushed up his sleeve, much to his objection.

Sakura gasped in shock, "Naruto, last I checked, you didn't get any cuts on your arms yesterday... When did you get this?"

"Oh, just last night, I think I might have scraped it on the table."

"Table my foot. Naruto, don't lie to me like that! I know a kunai cut when I see one, what is going on here?"

Naruto avoided eye contact with her, keeping his eyes on something else. "Nothing, nothing at all." he replied.

She pulled on his arm, he looked her in the eyes, and she asked him in as calm of a tone as she could muster, she was starting to well up. "Naruto, have you been cutting?"

Shocked, Naruto quickly said "No! Of course not! Why would I?"

"You know good and well why, does this have to do with the dreams?"

"Yeah..."

"What happened?"

"I woke up this morning and I was bleeding. In the dream, I was stabbed by a katana, and that's what it felt like."

"You cut yourself in your sleep?"

"I guess, I really don't know..."

"But why? What else happened, there has to be a reason. I know you, physical pain isn't going to do anything to you."

Naruto sighed. It was time to let the cat out of the bag... "Sakura, I need to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"I know that you kinda already know this, but I just want to make this clear. Whatever I'm about to say, don't hold me to it. You've been a good friend, someone I can be open with, and I don't want to lose that... Could you promise me that you won't look down on me?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Okay then... Sakura, I dreamed that we were in the desert, fighting against Sasuke, I had managed to seal his fate, kill him, but then he paralyzed me, threw his katana at me... And then.... I saw you, taking the blow for me, bleeding, you were hit in the heart....." Naruto was weeping, and weeping hard. "You were going to die.... Because of me!" Sakura could barley recognize him, this wasn't the confident Naruto she was used to. This was the one that had been living repressed inside of him his whole life. This was the broken young man that he'd hidden from so many people.

He grasped her right hand gently with both of his. "I couldn't stand it, I caused you harm, it hurt so much to see that. I... I can't lose you, Sakura, because I love you. I know I've tried to say it so many times, and shown it differently before, but I swear before God that when I say it this time, I mean it with all my heart. I love you, and there's no way I could ever live with myself if I hurt you ever again..."

Sakura began to cry. _He means it, every word, and I can't think of what to say... Naruto..._

"You're scared of me, aren't you?" He asked.

"No, not of you... Scared for you... Because I love you too."

"Sakura... Do you mean that?"

"Yes Naruto, every word. I care about what happens to you, physically and mentally...Not because of this," She said, pointing to his robe, "but because of this." she touched where his heart was. "I love you, Naruto Uzumaki, imperfections and issues aside. That's why I pointed out the scar, because this is serious."

"I know..." Naruto responded. _Sakura......._

"Was it because you failed me?"

"I don't know, I think it was partially that, the fact that I lost you, and then killing Sasuke in cold blood. I killed him when he didn't try to kill me."

"You know there are better ways to cope than that."

"I know, but like I said, I was asleep, how was I supposed to know?"

"Good point..." They both tried to regain their composure, then Sakura remembered part of why she was even there in the first place

"Naruto, what time is it?"

"7:45, why?"

"Oh crap, grab your scroll, we gotta go. Shoot, Lady Tsunade is gonna kill us!"

Naruto grabbed the scroll and they ran for the house at the top of the village. They sprinted as fast and hard as they could. Thankfully, Naruto's compound wasn't too far from the palace, but it was still going to be cutting it close. They decided to take the stairs again, the elevator was notorious for causing people to be late by a few minutes. They got to the ninth floor, caught their breath and fixed their stances, then entered the oh so familiar office.

"You're late." Tsunade said, pointing to the clock. 8:02 AM. "But, I'll let it slide, you have a lot on your minds, I'm sure."

"Sorry, my fault," Naruto said, "I got a little... Sidetracked.," He glanced as Sakura, "It isn't Sakura's fault. Anyway, so, what's our mission?"

"Well, we've got a little something for you two." A voice called out, "Forgive me, lady fifth, I had a little... unexpected delay."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, "You're back!" Kakashi nodded. He had just returned from a mission last night, but he assumed that he'd be sleeping in. Evidently not.

"Yo. Anyway, we need you two to go to the Sand village." Naruto's face suddenly went blank. "You're going to get the medical library backups they have for us. You'll get a cart when you get there, but until then, you'll have to go on foot."

"That's why I needed you two to rest up."Tsunade said, "I hope yesterday's excitements hasn't thrown you two off."

"Umm, Kakashi-sensei, could I have a word with you.. Um, in private?"

"Okay... I guess." Something was wrong with Naruto, it wasn't like him to do this...

"See you in a little bit, Sakura, I'll be right out."

Tsunade got up from her desk, "I'll go with her to the front, make it quick Naruto, or you'll be late."

Tsunade and Sakura left the room. Sakura looked back at Naruto one last time, then left. _What's he up to? Is it because of the desert? Maybe... Well, we'll see._

The door shut, then Kakashi turned around. "Okay, Naruto, what's going on?"

"I need to ask you about something. I need to learn a jutsu, and fast. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Depends, what are you wanting to know?"

"I need to learn the sacrificial jutsu."

Kakashi was shocked, "The one that jumpstarts the body? No, I can't teach you that, it's forbidden."

"Why?"

"Simple, because of the way it works. You see, Naruto, when a person is killed, their mind isn't completely inoperable. You can revive the person, but in order to do that you need to repair the damage to all the vital organs as well as producing enough blood to replace that which has been lost. The reason that this jutsu is forbidden is because once you start, there's no going back. It already takes a vast amount of chakra to heal all the vital parts correctly, but then there is the fact that it takes massive amounts of chakra to reactivate the organs. And that's before you factor in the blood and starting up the mind itself! It takes more than even you have with the fox."

Naruto looked down at the floor. He needed to learn that jutsu! Sakura's life was potentially in danger, and he wasn't going to rick it. "I see... I need to learn it anyway, just in case."

"Why the sudden urge to learn this technique?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"For you, Naruto, I can keep two."

"Good. Look, don't tell Grandma, that's the last thing I need. Anyway, I've been having these dreams lately, they haven't been too good. The only person I've told anything about them to is Sakura. But basically, to put it bluntly, I think I'm going to need to use it on her."

"You're sure this isn't just stress?"

Naruto slammed his fist on the desk, then screamed, "Damn it, why does everyone say that!?! This isn't stress, I, ugh! Look, does this come from stress?" He showed Kakashi his arm.

"Actually... Yes, it does." He raised his visible eyebrow, "You've been cutting?"

Naruto sighed, then growled, "No, it was in my sleep. Why the hell does everyone think I'm going insane!???"

"Naruto, calm down, I'm not saying you're going insane."

"But that's kind of what you just said, isn't it? You think I'm taking this too seriously, right? Well guess what, you didn't have the dream, and it felt as real as this does." Naruto was venting, and it wasn't pretty. He took a few deep breaths...

Kakashi looked at Naruto. _Something is definitely going on here, I don't remember him acting like this. Even when he was younger, he didn't act or speak like that... I don't know what Tsunade is thinking, sending him like this, but it may do him some good to get out._

"Kakashi-sensei, forgive me, that was completely uncalled for..."

"No, Naruto, it's okay." _I knew he had strong feelings for that girl, but I didn't know they were this strong... _"Look, I'll show you what to do, but you need to swear this. Don't use it unless you are absolutely sure that it's all you can do. It's not something to be taken lightly, this is your head on the line, and this affects the entire village."

"I realize that, I just need to know it.... You know, just in case..."

"Okay then, I'll show you. Now, first you......."

*****

Naruto ran towards the front gate, how long did he take, 15 minutes? Well, it was worth it, his mind was finally at peace. He'd have to thank Kakashi for that, it was comforting to know that he had an ace up his sleeve, just in case.

"Naruto, just in time," Tsunade said, "I assume everything is okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm good, just had a question for him, that's all."

"Okay, good luck."Tsunade walked back to the palace. _Naruto's looking much better, I wonder what Kakashi told him..._

Naruto looked at Sakura, "You ready?"

She nodded, then they left the village towards the desert. "So, what were you talking to Kakashi about?"

"Oh nothing important, just needed his thoughts on something." There was no way he was going to tell her about what he just learned, no one needed to know. It's not that he didn't trust her, he just felt like it was something personal, something to keep to himself.

"Ah, I see." She could tell he was hiding something, but he wasn't so glum, maybe it was better that she didn't know. "Hey, how's your arm feeling?"

"Better, it's all scabbed up, should be healed completely by tomorrow."

"Okay. Hey, if you get any other injuries like that, tell me, I'll take care of them for you."

Naruto nodded. "So.. How far is the sand village, exactly?"

"About three days. Don't you remember?"

"Well, it's been a while... This is going to be a long walk..."

*****


	8. Chapter 8

*****

Nighttime had fallen upon the land of fire. Naruto and Sakura had made good time, as they were around eight hours away from the border of the Fire nation. They'd stopped in the forest and set up camp there, they needed rest and it was late. Naruto had laid down, hoping that he'd finally get some decent rest. That's all he really needed, right? He tried to sleep, the soothing sounds of the outdoors were comforting to him. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he was in a deep trance, but it wasn't what he'd expect. Not one bit.

*****

Naruto found himself in some sort of void. It was a place that was both physical and intangible. There was no horizon, no floor, no sky, nothing. All that was was a white smog that was kept away in this small sphere. He floated there, unable to move. Naruto looked around, nothing... Had he finally found peace?

"Hello, Naruto." a soothing, familiar voice said, "How's it going?"

"Pervy Sage, it that you?"

Jiraiya nodded. "It's been a while now, about four months, right?"

"Yeah, when you... well." He scratched his head, "Wait, how are you here?"

"That's the funny thing, Naruto," he said as he started to turn around to leave back into the world beyond, "I'm not."

Naruto reached out for Jiraiya, "Wait! I need your help!"

"Do you? All I can tell you is what you think I would have said to you."

"Maybe, but it'll mean something more coming from you."

He chuckled, back turned to Naruto "You really don't get it do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Naruto, there's nothing more I can teach you. Even if I were still alive, it wouldn't have mattered. I passed on to you all that I could, the only thing you'd get from me at this point is how to be a failure."

"But you aren't, er, weren't a failure! You trained the 4th hokage! Helped me learn new jutsu, took me under your wing!"

"Maybe, but look at what else I did. I failed the 4th, I wasn't around when he needed me. I failed the 3rd as well, and he was my teacher! I failed the village by running around doing whatever it was that I wanted to do. I tried to do the same thing you're trying to do with Sasuke when Orochimaru defected and failed miserably. And you know how the Tsunade thing ended up. Naruto, that's the story of my life, not the -"

"It doesn't matter, not to me anyway. You're the closest thing I ever had to a father. Yeah, you made a bunch of mistakes, but I can learn from them!"

He turned his head and looked at Naruto. "You already have. You've protected the village, took down Pain, kept your priorities straight. And unlike me, you kept the people closest to you safe, Sakura especially. What is there left for me to help you with?"

"The only thing you didn't mention."

"Sasuke....." Jiraiya sighed. "I can't tell you what to do, but you need to be prepared, he isn't the same person that he was three years ago. If what I fear is true, then you're going to be faced with some difficult trials soon. And that may mean making a choice that you never wanted to make. You have two options. You can either give up now and hope that you never hear or see from him again, or you can keep going after him with the knowledge that you may have no choice but to kill him."

"I can't do the first one, Jiraiya-sensei, that's not an option. You know my nindo." _Jiraiya-sensei... _Naruto quickly thought, _I never called him that... I probably should have.... That's what you really were, not just some pervy sage..._

"And that's why I told you to let go in the first place." He sighed again, "Just watch yourself. And whatever you do," he said as he faded away, "Don't lose sight of what you have.... You just might lose it." And with that the image faded away.

"Jiraiya-sensei!" He shouted... "I......" He still couldn't move, there was nowhere to go anyway. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he wasn't in the void anymore.

He was back at the campgrounds they'd made. But something was wrong, he was standing up, not back on the floor. He looked down and saw a dead body at his feet. It was Sakura's. He looked in his hand, it was a Kunai, and it had blood on it. He dropped it, shock was the only thing he could feel. He turned around, and saw the last thing he needed to see. It was Sasuke next to a strange masked figure, both in Akatsuki coats, and he was laughing.

"You really are a failure, Naruto." He said. "You can't even protect the person you care about the most from yourself! You're pathetic."

Naruto began to panic, he could tell it was a dream this time, but it didn't make the image before him any less disturbing. He took the kunai in his holder, gripped it hard, and threw it at Sasuke. He laughed and knocked it away with his hand. Naruto rushed as Sasuke, charging up a rasengan in his hand, screaming. Sasuke moved right out of the way of the chakra and knocked Naruto right onto the floor. Upon impact, there was a crack. It was Naruto's back. He couldn't move, barely able to breathe, he was dying, he knew it. Sasuke walked up to him and picked him up by the head.

Looking dead into his eyes, Sasuke said defiantly, "Can you feel my pain yet?"

*****


	9. Chapter 9

*****

Naruto woke up, checking his back. He felt it was wet, but otherwise not broken. He checked for any cuts or scrapes, he had one on his back, but it was pretty small and had already scabbed up. Must have slept on a rock or something. He moved his attention to the ground he laid on. The grass was drenched with sweat, it was worse than the last time he had a nightmare, but at least he didn't hurt himself. _Hurt myself... Oh God, where's - _

Naruto looked to his right, and saw Sakura, no harm done, just laying there, still asleep. What time was it? He looked at his watch, 5:45, the sun was rising, that explained a lot. Funny, this was really early for him. He decided he'd work on breakfast. They needed to eat fast so they could head out quickly. _Sakura will probably be up in 15 minutes or so, I better get the food ready. Hmm, what to make.. Well, what do we have?_

Naruto checked the bag that stored all the food. He took a look at the contents. Ramen, oatmeal, dried meat and some eggs. They were in an ice box of sorts, and they were still in one piece. He pulled out the small pocket stove and started it up. _If I do this right, then there shouldn't be any problems. Hopefully I won't screw these up, it's been a little while._

_*****_

Kakashi walked into the office that belonged to Lady Tsunade. He was still thinking about what he had just done, teaching Naruto the jutsu. Tsunade had called for him quite early today, but he was still five minutes late, as usual. He always told them to ask for him earlier than they needed him, it was just the way he was. _I still don't know why I taught Naruto that jutsu... Well, he's the sage, and he has gotten a lot better about thinking about the big picture. Now he's making me worry about both him and Sakura... If he's right, I know exactly what he's going to do. And that leaves us with little options left, not a good thing, especially if Sasuke really has....._

"Kakashi," Tsunade said, "So, you know what we're here to discuss, right"

"I assume it would be something about Naruto?" he replied. "There are a few things I'm not allowed to tell you, though."

"Of course, he made you promise, I assume? Good thing I talked to Sakura on our way to the front gate, then. Kakashi, I'm not sure you're aware of this, but he has been having these nightmares lately."

"So he told me, something about Sasuke. Sasuke and someone else, I'm not allowed to say."

"Well, I already know the bulk of the story, it's been going on for a few weeks now. Sakura tells me what she knows, but it hasn't been much. At least until two days ago. Something happened, he had the dream as usual, Sakura looked into it, and then that afternoon he went training after I specifically told him not to."

"Of course, that's Naruto for you, stubborn as ever."

"Anyway, he evidently had another dream, but shouted for Sakura."

"And I assume Sakura told you about this?" Kakashi said, gesturing with his right arm.

"Yes, she did. Honestly, I didn't want to say anything, but maybe sending those two on their own was a mistake. I broke the rule of three because they were just getting the medical library, d-rank stuff normally, but it's priority one and they need to get out of the village once in a while."

"I quite agree with that, Lady Tsunade, Naruto isn't very stable, but what's done is done, I don't expect anything to happen to them. I think that Naruto will calm down a bit, he seemed quite calm when he left."

"What exactly did you tell him, Kakashi?"

His facemask kept his emotions from being easily shown, but the tone of his voice clearly told Tsunade he was smirking. "I'm afraid I made a promise about that, forgive me Lady fifth."

_So that's where Naruto picked it up from... No doubt it's all Minato's fault.... _Minato, now there was a person that would stand on his word. He took the position as the 4th Hokage, and died protecting the village. He went as far as sealing the fox into his son, hoping he'd gain the respect of the village. _You'd be proud of your son, he's almost ready... _

"Look Kakashi, I won't ask you anymore about what exactly you told him, but if it's what I have a feeling it is, I hope you told him to remember that the village still needs him. I strongly believe that it's almost time, the Kage summit is in a couple weeks, and I think it's time for him to take the mantle of authority. The people think he's right for the job, this has been a test for him."

"I know. And so far, judging by how everything is looking, I'd say he's passed with flying colors."

Suddenly, a blond haired girl burst through the door, "Lady Tsunade!" She exclaimed, "Someone wants to speak with you."

"Ino?" Tsunade asked, "Who is it?"

"That's the thing..." She replied, "It's Kabuto Yakushi."

*****

Sakura awoke from her dreams, quite a bit different from those of Naruto's. Pleasant thoughts of the two of them back at the village with their friends, having a good time. How long had it been since they had time to just relax without having to worry about other things for just a day? A while, not since the Akatsuki made their first move against Naruto and Gaara, and Pain's attack certainly didn't remedy the situation.

She got up from the ground, grabbed her things and went to go wake up Naruto, they needed to eat fast. She looked at her watch, 6:05 AM; they had about 10 minutes. When she approached where he laid down, all she saw was wet grass and a little bit of blood. _Oh God, not again. Where'd he go to now, he better not be trying to hide something. _She saw sweat and blood, and that's the last thing she needed to see. She turned around and saw Naruto walking up to her, plate in hand.

"Hey Sakura, I was wondering when you'd get up. Here," he said, handing her a plate of scrambled eggs, "I woke up a little on the early side, so I made breakfast." She accepted it with a smile, but it was obvious that she was concerned. He looked at the little bit of blood on the ground.

Sakura looked at him. "Naruto..." she said, she was starting to look a bit scared.

Naruto shook his head, trying his best to comfort her, "No, it's not what you think." He grabbed a sharp rock by the blood, "I think I rolled over onto this thing last night," he said, showing her his back, pointing out the small scab that was on his back. "Nothing serious."

Sakura smiled and punched his shoulder, "Don't do that to me! I thought you had another nightmare!"

Naruto laughed, "I did, but it wasn't all bad." He said as he sad down with the meal he'd prepared, "I saw Jiraiya-sensei last night."

"I don't remember you ever calling him that." she commented as she took a bite from the food. It wasn't amazing, but it was warm, and he didn't have to do it.

"No... But I wish I did... God, I miss him. There was so much I learned from him. I know he'd tell me he taught me all he could, but I really doubt that." he took a bite from his plate, wiped his mouth, and then looked at Sakura for a moment. "Hey, Sakura... Umm, could I ask you something?"

She wiped her mouth, "Sure, what is it?"

"Well, it's just that I was wondering... And thinking... Sakura, if someone you cared about was killed, and that person was all you had left, well... If they were killed by someone that you used to care about, someone who was your friend.... Would you be able to kill them?"

Sakura took a moment. She knew exactly what he was trying to say. "I don't know... But what I do know, Naruto," she said as she laid her hand upon his, "is that you don't need to worry about me. I told you, I'm here to help you. I love you Naruto, and at this point, I can't imagine having to deal with that."

"But I do, because I'm not sure that I can protect you. And that matters to me, I can't live with the thought that I let any harm come to you. As a good friend and as your partner, you're the medic, it's my job to make sure you can do yours. If you get hurt, then-"

Sakura put a finger to his mouth"Shh..... Naruto, look at me, I'm fine. You're not doing anything wrong, I'm not the one with the scars."

She was right. She was right, and he knew it. He looked at his arm. A patch of slightly lighter skin was the only evidence of a cut. "Sakura... Well...." He said as he put his empty plate down. He took hers, she'd finished as well. "I'll go take care of these really fast, we'd better get this stuff together..."

"Yeah. But before you go," she said as she got up. She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "know I'm here for you when you need me."

Naruto was shocked. Sakura took care of the rest of the camp, getting what little they had brought with them. He quickly washed the plates with the water and soap he had. But that wasn't what he was thinking of. _Sakura....Kissed me? No, this has gotta be a dream, some kind of sick joke. Or is it? _He pinched himself quickly, and looked back. Sure enough, Sakura was still there, gathering the gear. He turned his head back to his task, and smiled. _She really means it! Wow....._

*****


	10. Chapter 10

*****

Kabuto walked into the office, unarmed, escorted by multiple guards. He already knew there was no way that they'd just let him walk in, he was a branded traitor, thus the scratched headband. He needed to talk to Tsunade about Sasuke. As far as he was concerned, he couldn't care less what happened to either Kohona or Sasuke, he figured that he'd let them kill each other. Double crossing people was so easy these days...

"Kabuto," Tsunade said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

He chuckled, "Woa there, are we still a bit sore about that little incident a few years ago? I'm sorry, but let's make bygones be bygones." Tsunade was frowning, this wasn't the time to be playing around. "I have a little proposal for you. Its regarding a certain individual. Does the name Sasuke Uchiha sound familiar?"

There was shock from the Hokage and the others in the room, all but Kabuto himself and Kakashi. "So it seems you do...."

"What do you want, Kabuto?" Kakashi asked, tone increased just a bit. Whenever Kakashi did this, you knew he wasn't happy.

"Simple, I want you to find Uchiha. I've been working with him, and he's dead set on killing you. All of you, but especially Naruto. Look, you don't need me to be here all the time, but I can give you information about what he's up to."

"And why would you want to do that?"

"Because I hate him just as much, if not more, than you. He killed Orochimaru. You may have been his enemies, but you're a lot more useful then that freak."

"Okay then." Tsunade said, "What do you know?"

"I know that Sasuke knows where Naruto and Sakura are headed. And knowing him, he may try to strike."

Shock permeated Kakashi's face. _Naruto's dream... Does it mean something more? Perhaps, this isn't good... _"Lady fifth, perhaps it would be best if I-"

Tsunade nodded, "Go. As for Kabuto, if this information isn't correct, then you will regret it." She motioned to the guards "Please, escort him to his cell. Keep an eye on him, just in case."

Kabuto smiled. He'd planted himself into the base, no problem. He'd wait until the time was right to get word out to his people back at the sound village. Sasuke would be pleased, but he wasn't going to give him a free pass. Why would he, he killed Orochimaru. _My sweet revenge on the both of you...._

*****

Sakura and Naruto were two hours away from the border of the Fire nation when they decided to stop in the town to get a bite to eat. They normally stopped in towns for everything once they passed that groove, as it was deemed property of the village. At one point, they were going to put something there, but they never got around to building the compound. Naruto thought about this, it was a good spot, no towns for a couple hours, maybe they could build the compound when the village was done. He'd even do it himself if need be.

Sitting at the ramen bar, they each had their usual order, though it wasn't quite as good as the stuff at Ichiraku's place in Naruto's mind. They had talked quite a bit during their run, but Naruto still couldn't stop thinking back to that morning...

"Sakura, this morning," He asked her, "Did you mean that?"

She laughed, "Of course I did! I mean, come on, do you think I'd kiss just anyone?"

Naruto smiles to the side, "I don't know, you tell me?" He laughed, he'd been trying to ask her that all day, but couldn't get it out. If there was one thing Naruto was still had trouble with, it was approaching Sakura with things like that. He wasn't even sure why, it was just... Hard. Yes, it was easy to be himself around her, but insecurity was still part of who he was. Especially after Pain, it was a close call with Kakashi and Tsunade. He saw for just an instant that she would be all that was left, and it hurt. He wasn't about to lose the most important person to him. Sakura had become his closest friend, someone who understood everything about him, who he could turn to when he needed someone.

"Well, we'd better get going." Sakura said, rising from her stool, "Tomorrow's going to be the easy day, but today's the long one."

"Man, I can't wait for that cart...." Naruto remarked. He left the money for the meal, then quickly joined Sakura as they left the town. As they left, a figure stood behind them, simply watching them. He grabbed the phone in his pocket and walked to the back alley.

"I got them." he said, "They just left that border town, you need to be quick, they're in a hurry."

"Good thing I'm here then." a voice replied from directly behind him. It was Sasuke. He grabbed the man's neck, starting to crush it, just a tiny bit. "Thanks for the work, I can take it from here."

_*****_

Nighttime fell on the land of the sand, Naruto and Sakura got across just fine. They found a small town that was just seven hours away from Sunkagure, so they got a couple rooms for the night there. Naruto laid down, and began to think back to what had happened last night. The nightmares had been getting worse, but at the same time, seeing Jiraiya was a nice bit of relief. Suddenly, he heard a noise outside. He wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't sound good. He looked out the window, but saw nothing. False alarm, nothing more.

He went back to what he was doing, grabbed a book he had brought with him and relaxed. He had brought the book Jiraiya had written that hadn't sold well. _The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja..._He had already read more than half of it, and he enjoyed it quite a bit, far more than those other ones he wrote. Action, a character he could identify with, and most importantly, nothing to weird like the make out books. That, and his name was the same. _I do wonder, why do we have the same name? I mean, who would have done that, name me off of a book character, I haven't heard anyone having it before me...._

Naruto heard the sound again. And again. He was sure something was up, he just couldn't put his finger on it... Naruto grabbed his key, left the room, and headed to see what was going on. The second he got outside, he looked around. He took a few steps forward. Suddenly, Naruto found his neck being threatened by a sword that was all too familiar.

"Hello, Naruto. It's been a long time...."

"Sasuke...."

_*****_


	11. Chapter 11

*****

Naruto stood in the streets of the small town, sword at his neck. "So what I've heard is true... You really do want to kill me, don't you?"

Sasuke laughed, "Far more than that, Naruto, far more than that. Yes, I could easily cut you down here and now, but that wouldn't even begin to satisfy me... No..." He lowered the blade, keeping it by his side. "I want you to feel what I felt all those years ago. I want to destroy you, break you on all levels."

"But why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because this is all the village's fault, they ordered Itachi to slay my family. Because of you, the Akatsuki had a bone to pick with the village, so he went there, with them. And I know you're loyal to a fault to the people who gave the order."

"You've got to be kidding me, what on earth is this all about?"

Sasuke smirked, "Because of people like you, not only is my family dead, but Itachi was forced to leave. Even if there was no Akatsuki, he still would have been forced to leave. That village killed my whole family, you couldn't even begin to understand what that feels like."

"You've been out of the loop for quite some time... In case you didn't notice, Jiraiya's dead. You tell me, what is it like to lose your father when you had nothing at all?"

Sasuke couldn't answer him. Naruto continued. "I had nothing but hate all my life until Team 7. Yeah, Iruka looked out for me, but I had no friends. Not until you paid attention. You are the closest thing I have to a brother... And you've thrown yourself out the window. I asked Sakura about that day you got the cursed seal. You said you'd abandon it all for revenge..... So you have."

"You never knew me, Naruto. All that is in the past, that was a broken boy who couldn't even protect himself. It doesn't matter, that Sasuke is dead. I am an avenger, and that means you must feel the pain of losing everyone you ever cared for... Speaking of Sakura...."

"You lay one finger on her and I'll-"

"Do what? I know you better..." Sasuke said, chuckling, "Still trying to save me, huh?" Naruto frowned.

"See, these bonds hold both of us.... You can't even protect the one most dear to you because of them... You're pathetic."

Naruto turned around and threw a slug at Sasuke, screaming. He'd just gone way to far. Sasuke or not, he was going to beat him for that. He had no clue how much that stung. "Shut Up!!!!!!"

Sasuke dodged the blow like it was nothing and positioned himself behind Naruto, then stabbed him in the back. Naruto screamed.

*****

Sakura was in her room when she heard a shout. _That's Naruto's voice! What is he doing out there? _She knew he was in pain, and that gave her a bad feeling.... She grabbed her key and rushed out the door, going to the street to find Naruto kneeling on the ground, stabbed in the back by that katana she was all to familiar with...

"Naruto!" she shouted. He panicked, trying to remove the blade so he could get the fight away from her.

"Sakura!" he returned, "Get out of here!"

"Shut up Naruto," the third party said, "we've only just started this reunion of ours...."

"Sasuke, what the heck are you doing here?"

"Don't be a idiot, you know good and well what I'm doing."

Naruto shouted, tears streaming down his face, "Sakura! Please! I need you to get out of here!"

Sasuke kicked Naruto in the head, "I said shut up!" Naruto's lip was bleeding, nose broken, he coughed up a bit of blood. "Now, were were we? Ah yes.... Naruto here needs to feel pain, and a kick to the head isn't going to do squat." He took the blade out of Naruto, leaving him lying on the floor, barely able to breathe. Sasuke rushed at Sakura with the blade, Naruto watched in horror.

In an instant, images of the times Naruto had saved her flooded through Sakura's mind. Three years ago, she promised Naruto she'd be there to help him from then on out. She saw Naruto in trouble, bleeding, unable to do anything. It was her turn to return the favors...

Sakura dodged the blade, only getting grazed in the arm and started to pick Naruto up. Sasuke had recovered from the arrogant slash, and was about to come back at them. She had Naruto in her arms when Sasuke was seconds away from stabbing her. Then a kunai came out of nowhere, impaling Sasuke's arm right by the hand that held the sword.

"If we're having a reunion," a voice said, "Then why wasn't I invited?"

Naruto was barely able to breathe, but managed to get enough breath to utter, "Kakashi-sensei..."

"So Sasuke, you've decided to strike against him now..."

"Kakashi.... Get out of my way."

"No, you're going to take down one of my teammates, no, one of my friends. I won't let you do that. Naruto may have reservations towards killing you, but I could care less. You're not the same Sasuke I taught three years ago."

"Well then, it looks like my time is up... We're going to cut this little meeting short. You win this round, but next time, I'll show no sympathy." With that, he disappeared in a column of flame, just as he did with Orochimaru months prior at that last large encounter.

Naruto was about to say something, but was interrupted by Sakura "No. Don't say anything, you'll lose your breath. Just keep calm and don't move." She took his key and gave it to Kakashi, "Take this, we need to get him lying down now, I need to repair the damage fast, otherwise we may lose him."

He nodded.

Naruto heard the whole conversation, and thought to himself, _Sakura, Kakashi-sensei.... I'm sorry.... I failed to do my job...again..._

*****


	12. Chapter 12

*****

Sakura had taken off Naruto's cloak and jacket, flipped him around and checked where he had been stabbed. The skin was starting to grow back, but the internal damage wasn't improving by much. She started to work on that. He'd been impaled just by the lungs, an inch higher and he would have been dead by now....

Kakashi stood by the window, keeping an eye out for anyone that might try to get in. Sakura asked him as she worked, "How did you get here so fast, or maybe I should be asking why you came all this way?"

"We got news about Sasuke's intentions early this morning, I used a summon to get here faster, but it did take a while to figure out where exactly you stopped. I just got lucky to see you two at the last second."

"So, you've been reassigned with us?"

"Basically. So, you want to explain to me what was going on out there?"

"Honestly, I know around as much as you do. I heard Naruto scream, ran out and found him like this with a sword in his back. Sasuke got him pretty good, he made a pretty bloody mess." Sakura had finished the back injury. Moving on to the head, there wasn't as much to worry about, but it was still hurt.

Naruto started to get up and move, but Sakura motioned him back down. "Stay still, I'm not done yet."

"Ugh." Naruto said, still a bit shaky, "Kakashi-sensei, were you just asking about the fight?"

"Actually, yes. You care to elaborate on that?"

"Basically, I heard a noise from outside, ran out, and got jumped by Sasuke. He wants all of our heads, but mine in particular. He did say, though, that he wasn't going to kill me, not yet. Something about me feeling pain. I think..." he said, trying to get a grip on his senses again, "I think he wants to kill you.... Both of you, before he gets to me."

Kakashi was about to say something when Sakura replied, "He can go ahead and try. There's no way I'm going to stand back, I already told you, I'm here for you."

"Besides," Kakashi added, "we know he wants the whole village, it would be a waste to just stand by and let you do this yourself. We're just as responsible."

Sakura checked the rest of Naruto's wounds out, everything was okay at this point. "Alright, it's late and we need to get out tomorrow, Naruto, try to get some good sleep. Good night you two." She left the room, headed to hers.

Kakashi laid down on the hide-a-bed, turning his head towards Naruto. "So, was that what you were dreaming about?"

"Kind of. It was different it the dreams. He did stab me in the back before, but I wasn't the one that was on the floor. I was fine until the deal was sealed, when I killed him.."

"Usually that's the case. So, you didn't need to use the jutsu after all."

"So it seems. I wouldn't have had enough chakra anyway..."

"Well, at least it's all over."

"True, true. Thanks for showing up like that, but could you give us a bit of a warning before you do something like that?"

Kakashi laughed, "Hey, I did my best, satellite phones aren't exactly cheap!"

"Ah. Anyways, goodnight Kakashi-sensei." Naruto put down the book he was reading on the nightstand.

"Hey, wait, that book, I've seen it before, did Jiraiya write it?"

"This one? Yeah, it's his first book. His best book in my opinion, none of that weird stuff he wrote in those others of his."

"I think I read it a long time ago. Good book. Let me know when you're done, I think I may have a few answers to some of the questions about it you may have."

Naruto was a little confused for a second, but then remembered that Kakashi's sensei was the 4th, who in turn was the student of Jiraiya. If this book was aimed at people like him, then it would make sense that Kakashi would have read it when he was his age. He laid his head down, and began to dream...

*****

Naruto returned to the void he had seen the last night, but this time, he could somewhat move around, though it was hard to get the hang of it. He floated around, learning how things worked in this void. Once he got it down, he started to wonder just what was going on. He turned around to see someone familiar, yet so distant.

"How's it going, Naruto?" The small figure said. He was about 4'7, just a boy. He had the same spiky blond hair as him, blue headband and an orange jumpsuit. But there was something different about him.

"You're me when I was younger?" Naruto asked the boy.

He laughed, "Not exactly. In a way, I guess, sans annoyance." Naruto was shocked by the way he spoke, definitely not the way he used to talk... "Honestly, I'm kind of glad I'm not you, looks like things suck for ya."

Now that was more like it."Jeez, thanks."

"Not what I meant, you've got a lot of things that are good. You have a family, people to care about. Sakura."

"I knew that one was coming. Was I always that shallow?"

"Hey, who are you calling shallow? You're the one that made the decisions, not me! I'm just whatever you thought up."

The young Naruto disappeared. _Where'd he go?_ He wasn't sure just what happened. When he looked back where he was, he saw three figures. One was the young Naruto, the others a young Sasuke and a young Sakura.

"Is this what you've been chasing after these past three years, a reunion with your friends?"

"Yeah."

Sasuke spoke, "Well it won't happen. I chose my path as well. I'm not this anymore, as far as we're concerned," He said, as he faded away, "I'm dead."

Naruto gasped. What was with these dreams? Why were they always like this? The younger self said, "Don't you understand? He's gone."

"No, I won't believe it! He's not gone, just buried! I won't give up on my best friend, it just doesn't work that way."

"Does it?" the young Sakura asked. "Naruto, you may have made your motto never give up, but what are you going to do when that person has given up on you?"

Both figures were gone again. Naruto was starting to weird out, this was even more crazy than Jiraiya's visit last night. He blinked, then saw the two figures once again, this time, on a pillar. Behind them was Sasuke, the new Sasuke he'd just met. Garbed in back, he reached out, and took down both of the children. Naruto was speechless.

As the two of them faded, Sakura said, "Can you give all of this up? Will you let go of everything you hold dear?" Naruto freaked out. He started to head away from the center, but then saw a figure that was far from familiar.

"So, Naruto, what are you going to do?" the unfamiliar man asked. Naruto knew who this was, but not why he'd know his name.

"Lord 4th..."

"Not to you, Naruto. To you, I'm something else... Ask Kakashi some time, he'll be able to tell you." He disappeared, then from behind him, his voice returned, "Listen....Don't give up!"

Suddenly, Naruto found himself back in a desert, but it was clearly not in the wind country. This was the one just north of Kohona, this was in the fire nation. The scent of blood permeated the air. He looked around and saw many bodies on the floor. Lady Tsunade, Kakashi, Iruka, Shikamaru, all of the people he'd ever known, dead. Sakura was in front of him, sword in her chest, crying out in pain. Sasuke stood behind her, blade firm as a rock, motionless.

"What do you think of this, Naruto? Is this the reunion you want?"

Naruto panicked, it was just a dream, but he knew it meant something. "Why? Why am I having these dreams?"

Suddenly, everything froze. A calming voice called out to him, "It's a warning. When the time comes, you must make a choice." The voice didn't belong to anyone he knew, and yet it was so comforting.

"Who are you?"

"My name matters not, you know me, do you not?"

"Yes and no, you're a stranger to me, but I feel like I've heard you before..."

"Because you have.. Now... Do you understand what this is?"

Naruto looked at the landscape of his mind again, horrified by the sight once more. "A nightmare..."

"Yes, but what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know... Is... Is this really going to happen?"

"Perhaps... Perhaps not... What is up to you is your choice. How far are you willing to go for the most dear person to you, Naruto? Think about it." the voice said, then motion returned to the dream. Sakura gasped, Sasuke retrieved his bade and let her fall. "Because when the time comes..." The corpse landed. "It may already be too late."

*****


	13. Chapter 13

*****

Naruto darted up from his sleep, reaching for a kunai. He had no wounds again, no pain anywhere. He felt a tiny bit sore in the back from the fight last night, but better a few sore muscles than to be dead. He lowered his hand and looked at his surroundings. Kakashi was sleeping still, the sun just now rising. He looked at the clock, 6:10, he was right on time. He needed to wake Kakashi up, otherwise forget about breakfast. That, and he remembered what the 4th had said...

_Ask Kakashi some time..... What did he mean, something else? Are these dreams really some kind of vision, or am I just going crazy? _Naruto shook his head again, then remembered what he needed to do. He shook Kakashi, saying his name. He didn't get up the first couple of times. _Man, either he sleeps heavy, or he really is lazy... _Naruto took both of his pointer and middle fingers, placed them together, and then said, "Don't make me use this, Kakashi sensei..."

Kakashi rolled over, "Alright, alright, you got me..." He pushed himself off of the sofa-bed, then stretched for a bit. "So.. judging by the hour, I guess you got at least some decent sleep?"

"Well, better than the past few days, no scars on me today."

"Good," Kakashi said with what would be assumed to be a smile, you never could tell because of that facemask, so his eyes told you everything. "Well then, we'd better get going." A knock came from the door. Sakura, no doubt. Naruto quickly went to the door to answer it.

"Hey Sakura, come on in." Sakura entered with a brown bag, placing in on the small table in the room.

"Alright," She said, pulling out three breakfast sandwiches, "Here you two go. So, Naruto, how's your back feeling?"

"A bit sore, but otherwise good, should go away in a few hours."

"And your dreams, did they come back?"

"Well... sorta..."

Kakashi interrupted, "Whoa there, let me get this straight, you're still having the dreams?"

Sakura looked at Kakashi, "He's been having them, yes."

Naruto interjected, "But they've not been the same. Slight variances in the pattern. But it's for the better." He wasn't about to tell them that they were getting more intense at the end, how they were impacting his thoughts. That'd be suicide, no way that he would be able to get away with that...

Sakura looked him in the eye and knew he was hiding something. She wasn't going to put him on the spot. Maybe some time when they were in private again, she might ask him what else was going on. The last thing she needed was another outburst right now. That, and he wasn't in the best condition at the moment. The Kyuubi may be able to heal wounds and get him back up to speed, but that didn't change the fact that his lungs still needed a bit of time to recover from the damage.

Naruto scarfed down his sandwich, then gathered his stuff. Putting on his jacket and cape, he grabbed the book off of the nightstand, looking at the pages in the back. He noticed a page handwritten by two people. One was clearly written by Jiraiya, the other he couldn't tell. Jiraiya's note read: _Naruto, this is my final gift to you, take it, and enjoy your namesake. You've made me proud, and your father would have been proud. Take care, and I pray that you never forget about the things that are important. Good luck, future Hokage! Jiraiya._

The other note read: _Master Jiraiya, you've made a spectacular masterpiece here. When you feel the time is right, give this book to Naruto. I hope he sees what I saw in you... And Naruto... Take care of yourself, and remember to never give up on the things that matter!_

Naruto took the book to Kakashi, showing him the back page. "Kakashi sensei, who's handwriting is this?"

He looked at it long and hard. "It's been a long time since I've seen anything written by this man.... It's the 4th's. That's what I was going to tell you, this is your namesake, the book your father got the name from. Minato Namikaze is your father."

Now he understood the more than that statement..."Then why is my name Uzumaki? Was it to cover up who my father was?"

"Yes and no, that's your mother's last name.... She...//Died giving birth to you... It hurt your father, so he chose to give you her name, it was all he had left of her."

"Makes sense, I guess... Why didn't anyone tell me that?"

"No one knew who you were, save for a few select people in the village, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and I are amongst the few who knew. Technically, I wasn't supposed to know, but I snooped around a bit."

"Figures. What would the village have thought if they knew I was the 4th's son?"

"To be honest, Naruto, I doubt they'd have cared. You have the nine-tails, that's reason enough to hate you.."

Sakura interrupted, "Naruto, it doesn't matter what they would have thought about you, what matters now is that they care about you. I probably wouldn't have acted the way I did around you if I knew who your father was." She walked towards him, placing a hand on his arm. She knew what she was about to say might hurt him, "But I wouldn't have fallen in love with you, because you'd have been different. You've really become humble, Naruto, and I can't see you being anything else but what you are. Lord knows why these terrible things have happened to you, but what matters is that you've come a long way from being that sad boy on the swing, alone."

Naruto's dazed and confused expression gave a lot away. He was dealing with a flurry of emotion, trying to accept that his own father chose this fate for him. _Did he know that I was going to suffer because of this?_

"Naruto," Kakashi said, "Sakura's right. Everything happens for a reason. I don't know why things happened the way they did either, but what I do know, is that your father never meant to harm you. Keep that in mind."

"I just don't know...."

Kakashi took something from his pocket, handing it to the boy. "Naruto, this is something your father gave me all those years ago. It's a pendant of his clan. Even though he wanted Jiraiya to be your godfather, Jiraiya asked that I watch over you as a child. I did my best and got Iruka to help, that's why you were placed on my team, but your father gave me this as a gift. He wanted you to have it, so take it. After all, isn't he the reason you wanted to become Hokage?"

"Yeah..." He took the pendant, and grabbed a piece of string from his pouch. He put in on, just under the necklace that was given to him by Lady Tsunade over three years prior. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei.... I think I understand what he wanted me to become.... Someone who never backed down."

"Indeed. He felt the same way about being a ninja. In everything, don't give up..."

Naruto wiped a tear from his eyes, he remembered when the toads had given him the book. Jiraiya really believed in the same things his real father did. But he kept telling him to give up on Sasuke... Why? Simple, because he remembered the one time he didn't back down. It backfired, and it hurt. That was the whole reason, he wanted to protect him. _He wanted to keep me from the scars..._

Sakura had already packed up, keys in hand, "Well, we'd better get going, the sand is waiting for us."

Naruto nodded, his mind wandering all over the place, trying to pull itself together. "I wonder how Gaara's holding up, I haven't seen or heard from him since the last time we were here."

"If what I've heard is right," she replied with a smile, "I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise."

*****

Sasuke Uchiha stalked through the land that was once the village hidden in the sound. A man approached him, asking about how the previous night had gone. He received a blow to the face. Blood streaked through the air, the man's nose broken, he smacked into a building, his back let out a crunch. The others went about their business, trying to hide their fears, though it was clear that they knew better than to let their guard down.

He walked into the main building, taking the phone off the cradle. He punched in a number, and it rang. And rang. And rang. _Damn it, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up! _thought Uchiha, it was driving him insane.

"Uchiha..." A voice said, "What is wrong with you, if they-"

"Shut up, Kabuto. Naruto is still out there with Sakura and Kakashi. I know what went down, how the hell did they find out about the attack?"

"What, did you think they were going to just give me a free pass? I had to tell them something."

Kabuto chuckled, "Besides, last I checked, you were planning on killing the whole village first, were you not?"

Sasuke growled, clearly angry, "Don't try to play that game, Kabuto, I'll do whatever the hell I want to do, all you're doing is giving me info in exchange for services, got it?"

"Whatever, Sasuke..." He hung up the phone.

Sasuke threw the phone across the room, infuriated at the insolent fool. A black-garbed individual stood behind his back. "So, Sasuke, why are you wasting your time with this foolish boy?"

"Shut up, Madara, this is my war, not yours. The only thing I'm giving you is the beast. I don't give a damn about it."

"And what is it that you seek?"

"True vengeance for out clan."

"And how far are you willing to go for it?"

Sasuke looked at Madara, a fiery anger in his eyes, "To the death..."

He smiled, "Good." And with that, he left as quickly as he appeared.

_Damn it, why does this always happen? Oh well... Whatever. Kabuto had better be giving results soon, otherwise we're toast. Patience... Patience is key, all it takes is a bit of time. I'll get my vengeance for my clan... And my true brother.! Naruto Uzumaki.... Go rot in hell._

*****


	14. Chapter 14

*****

Naruto walked alongside Sakura, Kakashi following them from behind. They were but a few minutes away from the Sand village, and having run all day, they were looking forward to a bit of rest. But Naruto had not been able to get everything about the last night out of his mind. He may have finally understood about his father, but it told him nothing about the rest of the dream. Who was that voice? He'd never heard it before, but is seemed like he knew it, somehow. The younger him, what was that supposed to tell him? And the last part of that dream.... Was he going to lose Sakura?

He kept trying to block the thoughts out of his head, tried to deal with the fact that it was only a dream. Only as the battle last night had shown him, it wasn't so simple. No, he'd really been stabbed in the back, Sasuke really had turned. And Sakura almost died because of him. But what did that mean? Wouldn't it mean that if it was supposed to be that battle, then the dreams would have ended, right? He kept his head down, looking at the ground he walked on.

"Naruto," Sakura said, "You've been looking glum like that for the past few hours... What's wrong?"

He looked up at Sakura, "Oh," he replied with a quick, fake grin, "Nothing. Just thinking, that's all."

She sighed, "Naruto, just give it up, you know it doesn't work on me anymore."

He shook his head, "Sorry, it's just that I don't want you worrying about me..."

"Well, you're making me do that by not telling me what's going on."

Kakashi kept quiet, as usual. He was used to seeing them act this way by now. Granted, they were a lot more open now, but he'd noticed that the two had become near inseparable since the Pain fight. _Those two... It makes me wonder what Jiraiya would have said about all this..._

Sakura nudged Naruto, "Come on, tell me. What's wrong?"

Naruto sighed, "That dream... It was just so bizarre... I mean, I saw myself as a kid, then you and Sasuke at that age... Sasuke said he was dead, and faded away. The younger versions of us... He crushed them, they faded, but you asked me one thing.... Asked me if I could give up everything dear to me..."

Sakura looked him in the eye. He was still hurting, and it wasn't getting any better. "Tell me, is that all that happened?"

"No... He killed you again." Tears streamed down his face, it was far from pretty. "A voice asked me how far I'd go for the most dear thing to me..... And I watched you fall..."

Both went silent. Naruto wiped his face, trying to regain his composure. They slowed down. The village was almost five minutes away, and the last thing he needed was for someone to see him like this. Sakura held his hand, trying her best to help him. "It's okay," She said, "It's okay. Don't worry about me, I can handle myself."

"But I do."

They completely stopped, as Kakashi continued on ahead of them. Sakura put her hands on Naruto's head, looking eye to eye with him. "Look, I know that these dreams are affecting you, and maybe they're visions, but listen to me on this one. Naruto, I love you, but I can't stand seeing you hurt because of this! I want to help you, but I can't if you try to keep it all locked up inside. Naruto..."

"Sakura, I...." They stood there like that for a little bit, looking at each other. Naruto saw her eyes, she wasn't kidding. Not one bit. _What am I doing? Sakura's hurting because of me... She's the most dear person to me, the very one I'm trying to protect... And I'm hurting her! What's wrong with me? _"Sakura, I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Naruto... I understand. Like I said before, I'm here for you, I want to help! Can't you trust me?"

"Yes. Of course I can..." She drew in a little closer to him, when they heard something.

"Are you two coming?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto called out, "just a second, we'll be right over." Naruto and Sakura kissed. It lasted for but an instant, but they realized just how much it meant to the other. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that Sakura loved him. She already knew, but it sealed the deal for her.

She pulled on his arm, "Now come on, we're going to be late!"

"Heh, yeah.." He said while scratching his neck, "We don't want to keep Gaara waiting!"

"Gaara? Come on, you know who's probably loaded the cart for us."

"Oh crap, Temari'll have our heads!" He said, both in full sprint after Kakashi.

"Our heads, I'll tell her it was all your fault!"

"Hey!" They laughed, something they hadn't done all day.....

*****

Kabuto entered the office of the Hokage, no guards, no one trying to hold him back. Tsunade had a phone in her hand, lowering it back to the cradle...

"I got word from Kakashi this morning before they left." Tsunade said, turning towards Kabuto, "You were right."

"See?" He replied, "Why would I lie to you, there's no gain in it for me... Uchiha is the one that killed Lord Orochimaru, simple as that."

"Look, just because we've decided that you're not a threat to us doesn't mean that we're not going to keep an eye out on you. I don't care about how you get your information, but I do care that you don't double cross us. If you start letting out our plans, your head is on my desk by morning. Got it?"

Kabuto smiled, "Of course, dear Lady Tsunade..." He chuckled, "I wouldn't have it any other way..." _Perfect, all according to plan. Who cares what they do, I can plan the whole thing out... If Sasuke wants to kill them, fine by me, but I want him dead too. I love it when the cards are stacking up in my favor..._

*****

Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi walked though the gates of Sunkagure, the hidden sand village. As they entered, they were greeted by a face they didn't expect right off of the bat...

"Naruto? Is that you?" the 16-year old boy said. He was about as tall as Naruto, face with an odd mark."You look so different from last time..."

"Yeah, so do you, Gaara." They shook hands, grips firm, "So, what's happened since we last saw each other?"

"That's what I'm wondering as far as you go. Things here have been.... Busy, thanks to Pain wiping out the leaf, but otherwise, we've been doing quite well. So, what's this thing I've heard about you being a sage?" He said, pointing to the cloak.

"Oh, this? A little gift from the frogs, they thought it suited me. So, you got the library for us?"

"Yes, but you're not leaving until tomorrow. You came a long way, you need to rest up. Besides, I want to talk to you about the Kage summit, remember, it was postponed because of you guys. Another reason you made my job harder!" He let out a laugh. Gaara seemed very different in personality than from when he'd left. He was a lot more friendly, maybe not having the beast affected him. Whatever it was, Naruto was enjoying the new Gaara.

"So, Sakura, Kakashi, do I have the pleasure of talking to the next hokage, or what?"

Sakura laughed. "I don't know, but it isn't going to be soon, I don't think."

"Jeez, thanks Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi remained silent. _Odd, _Naruto thought, _usually he'd make a crack about that..._

"Well, it matters not, we do need to talk about it anyways."

"So," Sakura asked, "does Temari have the cart?"

"No, she'd headed back to the leaf ahead of you. We thought about sending the cart with her, but we thought it best of you two had it. So Kakashi, what are you doing here?"

"We had a bit of... A situation." He relied.

"Sasuke, right?"Naruto's head went down, Sakura showed concern for him. _Hmm... interesting, it seems Naruto still hasn't gotten everything after all... _"Well, don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll be able to take care of that later. We haven't heard much about him or Hawk, word has it that they're still trying to find the eight-tailed beast. Although you never know, they may have gotten him already."

Naruto was shocked, "Which would mean...."

"Yes, you're next. That's why I specifically requested that you come to the village with Sakura. I figured you wouldn't suspect anything if we sent the library with you. Sorry, but we can't tell you everything, not yet, anyways..."

"Why doesn't anyone keep me in the loop!?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Don't worry too much," Gaara continued, "I'll explain it all to you..."

*****


	15. Chapter 15

*****

Sasuke Uchiha walked in the village, brooding as usual. His mind was filled with thoughts of vengeance, and not just for his brother. He stopped at the room they'd given him; he'd made it home, it was all he had left. He took off his coat, scarring revealed. They were relatively fresh, only a couple weeks old. He felt his back, there was a massive red gash,still healing from the fight he had with the Eight-Tails... With Kirabi. It was the battle where Hawk died.... And the one that changed everything for him.

Hawk was a group that he could trust, that he could count on. They had shared the same goal, that wanting of revenge. It was different from Team 7 because of it, they were all at the same spot. They weren't an obstacle in his path. Sasuke sat down upon his bed, leaning over the edge in a hunched position. He took a glass of water from the side of his bed and gulped it down. He rubbed the scar again. It was the last one he got, and the last one that he would ever take for Hawk. One second was all it took, and they were obliterated from the face of the earth. He made sure that he paid for it, and pay he did. He ripped that bloody eight-tails out with glee, and it was sweet vengeance. The thrill of the kill was so empty, though, when it'd cost him the last of his friends...

_Naruto..._He thought to himself, _This is all your fault... You're the damned reason that they're all dead! I wanted power, the destruction of you and the village... I went to Akatsuki to make sure that you all died... You and the Jingchuriki.... The bloody reason for their existence... You're the last one of them... And you will pay dearly for this mess..._

He took a kunai from the table, throwing it into the wall. "I don't care what happens this time, I can die, but so help me, if you don't pay for these lives with your blood.... Not just blood... But pain. True pain....." Removing the kunai from the wall, he picked up the phone on the nightstand, dialing in a number. It rang once. That was all it took.

"Kabuto." Sasuke said, "Tell me, is the Hokage planning to leave anytime soon?"

"Actually," he replied, "Yes. The kage summit."

"Perfect, when?"

"Next week."

Sasuke let out an irritated groan. "Can you get her out of there sooner?"

"By a few days, yes. I'll see what I can do..."

"Make sure that you get back to me..." He hung up the phone, casually walking towards the door. He donned the coat he took off once more, and placed his katana around his waste. _Soon enough, Kohona, you will be at my feet.... And you will burn._

*****

Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Gaara sat at the round table usually used for meetings of the sand village. Naruto had a instant ramen cup in front of him, fingers twittering in anticipation. He had poured the water into the cup a couple of minutes prior, but he was getting really hungry.

"Well then," Gaara spoke, "Where do we begin? I guess I better start with Hawk, right?"

"That'd be kind of nice, yes." Naruto replied, eying his watch. Only twenty more seconds...

"Okay. From what I've managed to gather up, the eight-tails was captured just last week by Hawk, but only one survived. Obviously, that would be Uchiha. Word had it that he was removed from the Akatsuki, but they say he's still in contact with them. It's important that you understand, Naruto, that you're the last one left. Unlike me, there's no second chance. They are going to be after you like no one else. You're the last Jingchuriki, the only person who has a tailed beast."

"But why would Sasuke side with the Akatsuki? I mean, didn't Itachi work with them?" He stirred around the noodles in the cup, ready to take a bite.

Kakashi replied, "Yes and no. We weren't supposed to tell you, and until recently, I was left out of this loop too. But Itachi was working with us."

"What!" He said, dropping his chopsticks. "I know he wasn't all evil or anything like that, but you're telling me he was a double-agent?"

"Something like that..."

Gaara replied to Naruto, "We still don't know why Sasuke was with them, but we hear that they promised him something... Two things, actually. His Makengyo Sharingan, and the Eight-Tailed beast..."

Sakura joined the conversation, "Sounds like the latter fell through. I don't know if he has the eyes, but he just might...."

"Considering he killed the Eight-tails's Jingchuriki, I'd put my money on it." Naruto said as he finally started eating his ramen. It was a warm and refreshing snack for him, although Sakura thought he was crazy for eating so much of it. _Don't eat so much of that stuff, _She would say, _There's so much sodium in there that one of these days, it's going to kill you!_ But he was far from worried about that at the moment. "So what's this about a Kage summit?"

Kakashi turned his head towards Naruto, "I believe that Lady Tsunade was going to talk to you about that upon our return... The mist village has called for a Kage summit. And it concerns you..."

"The Fox.... It's all that's left, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Sakura looked at Naruto, his head down. He took a few more strands of Ramen, then pushed the cup away for the moment. She thought she knew what he was thinking about doing, and she didn't like it one bit. He spoke then, "Well then, I guess there's only one thing left..." Sakura frowned.

"No." She said. "You're not going to go off by yourself. I won't let you do that, it's not right. Besides, you heard what Sasuke said, he isn't just after you."

"I know... But I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me.."

"Naruto, you'll be fine, we'll get through this! Gaara, you and the sand will help us, right?"

"Naruto," Gaara said, "I owe you a favor or two. Helping you all out is reasonable enough. Also, the mist village wasn't too happy when they heard that the eight-tail's Jingchuriki was killed. I'm quite certain that once they learn you have the last of the tailed beasts, they will be with us as well."

"I hope so," Naruto said, "But Akatsuki aren't the problem right now. They're weak, we have them on the run. It's Sasuke I'm worried about..." He grabbed his ramen, drinking the broth, gulping it down at a rapid rate.

"I rather doubt there's much one man can do." Gaara took a bit of sand from the floor, starting to mess around with it, making a figure of something... "Even if he does have the Makengyo, it matters very little. You have your Sage Mode... And don't forget the Kyuubi."

"No. I can't use it. I have no control over him; the thing is pure evil. It hates me anyways, so what use would it be? I let him out, and I'll never get control unless Yamato happens to be in the area. And that sure as heck isn't going to happen, things are way to busy for him to be running around right now." He sighed, "Besides the point. I need to stop Sasuke, somehow... I can't kill him, he's my brother, but I can't just let him harm the people I care about either..."

"Naruto," Kakashi said, "You need to understand that Sasuke may already be dead. What did he tell you when you first met with him last night?"

"That the Sasuke I knew was a broken boy.. And that he was dead. But I don't believe it! He's just burying it, he said that the bond we have holds him back too!"

Gaara had finished the sculpt he had made. It was Team 7. "So, this is what you want?" Naruto nodded. "I can understand that... But Naruto, you don't always get what you want..." He let the sand flow back into oblivion. "So take what you already have and cherish it. Be content with it."

"Easy for you to say," Naruto said with a frown on his face. "you're the one who's the Kage..."

"Maybe..." He said, looking down, sculpting with the sand again, "But you're the one that has friends... I'm afraid that I don't have that luxury... Not here." The sculpt was of the Kohona 11.

"Why? Does the village still fear you?"

"No.. They aren't afraid of me, especially since I no longer have Shukaku... But they act as if I'm an all-powerful leader... They don't see me as a friend...."

"I do."

Gaara sighed, "I know you do, that's why I said here... But it matters very little. The good thing is that the three of you are here, and we have everything set for you. Look Naruto, I have a lot of faith in you, and I'm sure that you'll meet your goal of becoming Hokage. But you can't live in the past. I learned that lesson long ago... I may not have everything I wanted... But at least I have my priorities straight. And that means not shunning the friends I do have, and my family. Now..." He said as he glanced at a clock, "It's getting late, so I'd better show you around the building. You're leaving in the morning, I assume?"

"Yes." Kakashi said, "We need to get back to the leaf as soon as possible. We need to make sure things don't get out of hand."

"Indeed. Well then, shall we begin?"

*****

Sakura walked into her room, casually placing down her belongings. She took a glass and filled water, placing it on the nightstand. What had just happened these past few days? She drank from the glass slowly, thinking upon what she had said to Naruto the past couple of days.

_He's getting worse, I know it... The dreams aren't letting up on him. What can I do about this, it isn't something physical. His mind is tied to the promises, I know it. I hate this! I know that time and time again, I have to remind myself that this isn't my fault, but it feels like it!_

She dressed for sleep, grabbing a book she had picked up on their way out from the village. _It's just that I care about him... I do love Naruto, more than I ever imagined I could... That's why it hurts so much to see him treat himself like that. He acts like he's useless, that he's a burden to us all. He isn't... _

She decided to go talk to him. She went to his door and knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. He was probably asleep then... _Tomorrow... I need to tell him tomorrow. I won't let him look down on himself anymore! I.......I just pray,,,,,,,,, That I'm not too late....... _

_*****_


	16. Chapter 16

Naruto was in the void once more, a bit agitated about being there again. He heard a chuckle. "Who is that?" It came again. Naruto knew the voice, though it had been a long time since the last time he heard it...

"Hello Naruto..." The voices owner revealed itself. It was the Kyuubi. "How've you been doing? Enjoying your dreams?" He began to laugh. Naruto growled at him. "I didn't think so... Well... What have you been up to?"

"Shut up." he replied, teeth gritted. "Now. This is my life, not yours. I'm not going to let you hurt anyone."

The Kyuubi laughed, wheezing as he did. "Now, why would I want to do that? The second I leave you, I'm dead! Unless the Akatsuki get their way, but I don't like the idea of being controlled. It would be better than this bloody prison, though." It snickered. "You got any precious people for me to kill?"

Naruto took a kunai from his holder, gripping it hard. He screamed at the top of his lungs, loud and feral. He wasn't going to take any more of this crap, especially from the Kyuubi. He attacked at it, but the weapon did nothing to the beast. "You can't kill me, Naruto. Not without your own death. Looks like we're going to be stuck with each other for a long time..."

"Maybe... Maybe not. One day, I will finally fight you. I will face you, and when I do, I will kill you. I know you're the reason for all of this mess. The reason that so many people have died, the reason that my friends lives are on the line..... I'm going to -" The Kyuubi was gone, just as it had appeared. "Oh God-"

Naruto stood in front of something he knew well. It was his home; It was Kohona, and Sasuke stood at the gate. "Sasuke!" He shouted, "What are you doing here?"

He turned towards him, a smile on his face. "Delivering you pain..." He drew his sword, pointing it towards Naruto's neck. The scene changed back to the battlefield, everyone dead, Sakura's corpse in front of him. But this time, Sasuke's blade was clean. The bloodstained weapon was his. "Or, rather, showing you pain... Because you did all of this."

"No.... No! NO!!!" He dropped to the ground, kneeling down, looking at those that he'd become so close to. He dropped the Kunai, looking at the sword in front of him.... He cried. _I can't.... It's really going to happen, isn't it? What if it's true, what if it really is all my fault? What if I do kill them all? _ "Sasuke.... Finish this."

He smiled, "With pleasure.... You pathetic weakling." He took the sword and stabbed his heart, then removed the blade. Naruto screamed, then watched his world fade into oblivion....

*****

Sakura was headed to see Naruto that morning when she heard the scream. She knocked on the door, but was only answered by silence. She knocked down the door, concentrating the chackra into her foot as she took out the deadlock. She looked at the bed, and saw blood on the sheets, seeping out of Naruto's chest. _Oh God, please say I'm not too late! _She ran to look at the injury. It was a massive gash across his chest, no vital organs hit, but plenty of blood was spilling. She looked at his hand, and found a Kunai, blood dripping from the tip of the blade. Her vision began to blur, the sight horrified her. Naruto was unconscious, not even aware of what was really going on.

Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes, healing the wound as quickly as possible. Within a minute, she finished the operation, relieved that she had made it in time. She took the kunai, wiped the blood off of it, and placed it back on the nightstand. She sat there on the edge of the bed, crying, looking at the unconscious boy. Someone entered the room.

"I heard." Kakashi said, tone calm as always. "What happened this time?"

She looked up towards Kakashi, still crying. "He had a massive cut across his chest.... He lost a lot of blood.... If I wasn't just outside, I don't think he would have made it..." She turned her head back to Naruto. "What's happening to him, why is this happening to him? This is my fault, isn't it..."

"Sa... Sakura?" Naruto said, as he got up, groggy. He looked down at his chest, a massive gash in his shirt, but otherwise no sign of the cut. "Sakura? What are you and Kakashi sensei doing here? And what's with this hole in my shirt?" He looked at Sakura and saw that she was crying. She grabbed the kunai from his nightstand, handing it to him. "Oh God, did I.....?"

Sakura nodded, "You had the dream again... Didn't you...... The one where you killed me..." He nodded. "It's my fault... Naruto, I-"

"Don't say that!" he shouted, "Never say that! This has nothing to do with anything you've ever done!" Tears still filled her eyes, she looked away for a second. Naruto took a deep breath, regaining his composure. He grabbed her by the shoulder. "Sakura," he said in a far more calm and comforting tone. "I..." He sighed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have exploded like that. But this isn't your fault! I don't ever want you to take the blame for me..." She turned back towards him, wiping the tears off her face.

"Not to ruin a moment or anything," Kakashi interrupted, "But we're supposed to leave in thirty minutes and Naruto isn't even dressed. Unless you want to keep the Hokage waiting, we had better go, we are due back this evening, and I'd rather not be too late, there's a few things I need to do..."

*****

Kabuto entered the office of Lady Tsunade once more. He had told them of a plot to kill the Hokage on her way to the summit. Obviously, this wasn't 100% true, but he had connections...

"So you're saying that we need to go over there sooner?" Tsunade asked.

"Not exactly." he replied, "You yourself do. It would be better if you sent anyone that was to accompany you to the summit after on the day you would have. It's imperative that you heed my warning. There are plenty of people who would like nothing more than to see your head on a spit..."

"Thank you Kabuto, you may be excused..." He left the room. _I don't like this... Not one bit. I'll talk to Kakashi about this when he gets back. I don't like the sound of this, it seems way too off.... But it wouldn't hurt either... We'll see, I don't want us jumping ahead of ourselves..._

_*****_

Naruto sat in the back of the cart, right next to the library. Kakashi drove it, while Sakura was in the back with him. He had tried to get them to let him drive, but they wouldn't because he was still healing from the morning. He took out his book; he was on the very last chapter. Sakura was reading up on new jutsu, as always. _Man, I just don't get how she can read through all of those, they're so dry! I mean, come on, the least they could do is add a bit of color, right?_ He had a cup of ramen at his side, as he always did, but Sakura forced him to throw some chicken in there.

He looked around the vehicle, it was a simple wooden wagon, nothing special about it. However, it was far from small. It took four steeds to pull it, especially since they had the entire library with them. Granted, a lot of their information was on three 250GB hard drives, and would be published at the village, but there were quite a few books as well. Speaking of computers, he needed to play through that game of his when he got back. Surely they'd have some downtime before the summit.

He looked outside through a plastic flap on the side. He saw the desert pass by, they neared the border of the fire village. He felt both at peace and uneasy. At peace because he was home, yet uneasy because he felt like something big was going to happen at Kohona. They continued in their silence for a bit longer, each totally immersed in their literature. The ride wasn't the smoothest in the world, but it wasn't altogether bumpy either. Ten minutes later, Naruto had finished the book, and saw Sakura closing hers.

"Hey," he asked, "What are you reading about?"

"Oh nothing," she replied, "it's just some things on sleep and the body, that's all." She looked at him in a way he wasn't used to seeing. It was a look of concern, but more so than he'd ever seen from her.

"The dreams... Right?" She nodded. He shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Look, I'll hang with Kakashi-sensei for the night, okay? I'm sure he won't mind making sure nothing happens," He turned his head towards the driver's seat, "Right sensei?"

"Sorry Naruto, but I'm afraid I'm a bit busy these days... Why not try Shikamaru or Iruka, I'm sure either of them won't mind too much..."

"Darn it..." He turned back towards Sakura, smiling, "So, would you feel better if one of them were watching my back?"

"Right now, Naruto, anyone watching you sounds good to me...."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's your subconsciousness... Naruto, have you noticed when you cut yourself, that you were alone?"

Naruto was shocked. _Oh God... Is she right? _"Come to think of it, yes... Yeah, because that first night we were in the middle of nowhere, and you were within eye shot. Then the night after that, Kakashi-sensei was in my room.... You've got to be kidding me! So, you're telling me that I'm cutting myself in the middle of the night, and I don't want anyone to know about it? Is that really it?"

"No, but it could help make sure things don't get worse. We'll see, that's why I'm hoping that someone can keep an eye on you."

Naruto nodded, "I'm sure that someone'll be fine with it. If all else fails, I could sleep on the street in front of your place!" He laughed, grin wide. She sighed and shook her head, smiling.

"Naruto..." Suddenly there was a thunk on the side of the wagon. "What was that?"

Naruto looked out the side, pulling out a kunai. "Paper bomb!" he shouted as he threw it out. An explosion went off right next to the cart, startling the animals, causing them to speed up.

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, "What the heck was that?"

He pulled out a kunai, strapping a paper bomb to it. "I don't know, but it sure wasn't friendly! Kakashi-sensei, step on it, I think that we've got company!"

*****


	17. Chapter 17

*****

Naruto grabbed his loaded kunai, looking out the tarp on the side. He saw three figures on motorcycles. _What the !?!? How on earth are these people able to afford this stuff?!!? _He grabbed a few more kunai, started putting bombs on it, placing them inside his holster. "I'll be back."

Sakura grabbed her kunai, already loaded. "What are you talking about, I'm not missing out on this one! Don't push yourself, your body's still trying to get more blood in the system."

He smirked, "Come on, why would I ever think to do that?' He laughed, jumping out of the wagon, landing on the ground without a scratch. A cycle came up next to him, it's rider slashed at him. He recognized the symbol on their garb. It was the slashed sign of Kohona... _Oh crap, traitors... Perfect, just perfect..._

Naruto got up, kunai in hand, running towards the first biker who turned around. He threw one of his loaded kunai at his wheel, hitting it. The bomb promptly went off as the wheel hit the ground, sending it flying into the air. The rider disappeared in a puff of smoke, then returned right behind him. He ducked down, dodging a punch, turned around behind the guy, and had him in a neck hold. Two kunai flew out of nowhere, hitting him in arms, stopping him from using handsigns. The guy screamed as Naruto took out the kunai that belonged to Sakura.

"Stealing my target? I thought you could do better than that!" Naruto playfully retorted at her as he started to make a Shadow Clone handsign. Two clones appeared, one grabbing the downed traitor to the cart, the other going after one of the motorcycles. Naruto himself ran after Sakura, who was headed towards the third biker.

"Snooze, you lose!" She said, laughing as they both ran side by side. The clone stood directly in front of the bike, right hand behind his back. The clone chuckled as the second traitor began to laugh at him. He revealed his right hand, Rasengan in hand, and destroyed the bike, causing a massive explosion and making the clone disappear.

The final bike was right in front of them, but it's rider wasn't game on sticking around. He darted away, throwing something behind as he fled. It was a Kunai with a note on it. Naruto grabbed it and took a look at it. Sakura looked at Naruto, a grim frown on his face. "What is it?" she asked him.

"This note." He said, "Looks like Grandma's next...."

*****

Naruto smacked the traitor again, this time breaking his nose. "You know, you're really stubborn about this. Make it easy on yourself, just tell me what you're up to, and Sakura here will patch you up good. I'll let you go, no pre-conditions. All you have to do..." he said, fingering a Kunai, "Is tell me what the heck this means by Lady 5th is next."

He spat in Naruto's face, "I'll never tell you, they'd kill me anyways..." Naruto sighed.

"Okay, why do you always have to spit in my face? Couldn't you just cuss me out or something?"

"Naruto," Sakura said, "Just leave this one to me." She stood behind him, channeling chackra through her fingernail. "Now... What's your name again?"

"What name, I used to be ANBU, I have no name."

"Just call him Reno," Naruto said, "That ought to suit him pretty well."

Sakura shook her head. _Naruto and his games... go figure... _"Okay then... Reno... Naruto, he looks NOTHING like Reno!"

"Come on, he's got red hair!"

"Yeah, that's as flat as a table!"

The guy just sat there, chuckling a bit at the ridiculous argument. He was about 5'6 , had a scratched out Kohona headband, and red hair. "Whatever," Naruto said, "he's not complaining. Heck, I think he's kind of enjoying this."

"Whatever, let's just get on with this. 'Reno', in case you didn't notice, I know a thing or two about the human body. I also have a knack for chakra control." She showed him her fingernail. "This is all I need to kill you here and now or permanently paralyze you for life. Better yet, I can even make you a vegetable, make sure you never move again and live. So we're going to make this simple. Tell me what you were doing and who your group is, or I'll start breaking nerves."

'Reno' was in a state of shock. "You going to tell me, Reno?" she asked, "Don't keep me waiting like this, or I might start..."

"Alright, Alright!" He panicked, "I'll tell you! Look, we're a group of rogues that want to kill the Hokage, that's it! We're planning to kill her as soon as she leaves next week. Simple as that. Now, please! Spare me!"

Naruto cast a jutsu on the man, knocking him out. Sakura healed the wounds they'd inflicted on him, and they left him by the side of the road. "Not bad, Sakura," Naruto said, "You mind teaching me how to do that sometime?"

She let out a sly smile. "I'll think about it."

"Kakashi-sensei! Hurry, we don't have much time left, we got to tell the Old Lady about this!"

*****

Kabuto laughed. Everything was going according to plan. The three ex-villagers he'd managed to talk into taking the mission had done a good job with no casualties, and managed to leave the bait. He dialed a number onto his phone and waited for the person to pick up.

"Kabuto, did it work?" Sasuke asked as he picked up the phone.

"Indeed it did, they fell hook, line, and sinker... Too bad they trashed the bikes though, they cost so much these days...."

"What part of I don't give a damn about your equipment did you not get the first time?"

Kabuto sighed, "Whatever, besides the point, They're an hour away from the Village. I assume she'll be gone by tomorrow, so be ready to kill."

"I'm going to enjoy this..."

*****

_Three Days Later...._

Tsunade walked alone. There was no one with her on this trip, and she almost was at her final destination. Just another couple of hours, and she'd get to rest. But she felt a little tired, so she pulled out a bit of her Sake to keep her awake. She left Kakashi and Naruto with very specific instruction: If she didn't call back by the next day, then they'd carry on the day of to the summit, and consider her dead. She said that Kakashi would be her successor, but that was a lie. Naruto was the one that she had really picked. Kakashi was to reveal this only if that time came. She put the drink away, and continued down the path.

Suddenly, everything stopped. She was feeling a bit woozy, perhaps a bit too much of the Sake... No, because her reaction time hadn't changed, she would have noticed it. She looked in front of her and saw a figure she had never seen in person. But she knew good and well who it was. "It's been a long time, Sasuke... How are you holding up?"

"I'm not, thanks to you." Sasuke replied, Makengyo activated, "I don't suppose that this is going to work on you, is it?"

"When all your friends have died and you have nothing tying you to the world, yes..."

"Maybe I ought to put you out of your misery, then..."

"Who said this was misery?" She ran up to Sasuke, punching at him. He moved out of the way no problem, sword drawn. Tsunade found her arm bleeding.

_What the -?_ She thought, _What's going on here?_

"You are such a fool, Tsunade... Kabuto has been working with me for the past week, and he made sure that we snook a little something in the Sake. You can't do anything, can you?"

Tsunade grunted, she was far from pleased. "So that's how he knew all about the attack. Because he's been setting us up since the start!"

"Yes, but by the time they find this out, he'll be long gone. You, on the other hand, don't have time on your side..."

He took the blade, stabbing Tsunade in the heart. She screamed in pain, something she'd never expected. "I may have forgotten to mention that the poison took care of that annoying jutsu of yours.... I do wonder though... How are Naruto and Sakura going to take the news?" He pulled out the blade, returning it to its sheathe.

Tsunade was panting, mustering enough breath to utter one last sentence. "It doesn't matter... They'll kill you, you pathetic …........" She fell to the ground, lifeless. Sasuke laughed.

*****


	18. Chapter 18

*****

Naruto and Kakashi sat in the office of Lady Tsunade. Naruto had a bottle of soda at his right, a 2 liter of Mountain Dew, they were cheap, it was only 100 ryo, so it didn't cost him that much to do this once in a while. His right hand's fingers were fidgeting on the table, anxious for the phone call from Lady Tsunade. It had been an hour since she was supposed to be there.

"So, you think something happened?" He asked Kakashi.

"Honestly, Naruto, I give her another 15 minutes. For all we know, she's just drunk, that's all."

"I hope so..." He leaned back in his chair, taking a gulp from the bottle.

"So.. It's been a few days since we last talked like this... How you been holding up?"

"Pretty well, actually. Been staying with Iruka-sensei, he's been great about it. That, and Shikamaru has popped around, though he did just leave on his mission yesterday."

"Good, glad to hear that." He was relaxed in his chair, but it was clear to Naruto that he was hiding something behind that mask. Naruto shook the thought off, taking another sip from the bottle. "You know," Kakashi said, "Sakura might be a bit mad at you for that."

"What, this?" he shook the bottle, "It's not that much, besides, I already drank half of it over the past two days, so it's not like I had it all in one sitting." He scratched his neck. "Kakashi-sensei... I do wonder... If Lady Tsunade is really dead..... Which I pray not, Sakura will really take it hard, but still... Wouldn't that make you Hokage?"

"Yeah... About that, Naruto...." He was interrupted by a ring from the telephone. He picked it up, Naruto getting up from his seat, trying to hear what was going on. "What?" there was a brief pause. "I see, thank you. Was-" Another pause. "Ah... Well then, we'll get back to you on that." He put down the phone.

Naruto looked Kakashi in the eye. "Grandma Tsunade.... She's dead, isn't she?" Kakashi nodded. Naruto grabbed his bottle of Mountain Dew, and took another gulp from it. "It was Sasuke, wasn't it..."

"Yes."

"DAMN IT!" he screamed, slamming his fist on the table. He took a long breath, trying his best not to cry. There was a knock on the door. He regained his composure, then opened it himself. It was Sakura.

She looked him in the eye, having heard the yell. She started to well up, "Is she..?" Naruto nodded. He took her to his chair, trying to be as understanding as possible. When he had learned that Jiraiya was killed, he turned it all into anger and frustration. Granted, Sakura wasn't going to do that, but he knew she wasn't going to take it well. She put her arms on the table, head in her hands. Naruto heard her whimpering and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Sakura, it's okay to cry..." He said, turning to Kakashi, "What does this mean for you?"

"Me?" He said, "Nothing at all. No, Naruto, now you're the one in charge."

"What are you talking about!?! The Hokage is supposed to the be best ninja in the village, the one that everyone looks up to. That's you Kakashi-sensei, not me."

"No, Naruto, it's you. The people have far more respect for you, you've by far surpassed me in all but age and experience. Besides, Lady Tsunade and I decided this ahead of time."

Naruto grabbed a chair, sitting down next to Sakura, across from Kakashi. He couldn't believe it, he had become Hokage... But at what cost? Lady Tsunade was dead, and that meant they'd lost their best medic. And he and Sakura had lost a mentor. To Naruto, she was kind of like an aunt, but to Sakura.....

He put his arm around the girl, face still in her hands. "Sakura.... I.. I'm sorry, this is my fault...."

"No it isn't." She said, shaking her head. Sakura looked him in the eye, wiping her tears. "It isn't... I won't let you play the pity game either! It isn't you fault at all...." She looked down at the table. "So... This is what it was like."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you lost Jiraiya... I wanted to try to help you... but I couldn't. I never lost anyone before. My real parents died during that attack, but we weren't that close, so it didn't phase me...But now... Now I kinda get what you went through.. But it hurt more for you, didn't it? He was the closest thing you ever had to a father...." He nodded.

"He was all I had... Not that I didn't have you or the others.... But you know what I mean...."She nodded. Naruto wiped her remaining tears off her face. "Look..." he said, kissing her on the cheek, "I'm here for you too... Don't forget that."

_Naruto... _She thought, _Thank you... You have no clue how much I needed that.... _"So... You're the Hokage now... You finally did it!" she smiled, trying to lighten up about the predicament.

"Yeah.... Too bad they weren't here to see it."

"Don't worry." Kakashi replied, "They were proud of you. Jiraiya always spoke highly of you, and Lady Tsunade herself was ready to hand the title to you in a few months. This whole restoration thing was a test for you, she wanted to see how you'd handle it."

Naruto looked at the desk, seeing what was to become his office. "You'll still be around as an advisor, right Kakashi-sensei?"

"Only if you want me here.... But don't ignore the others; I'm not the only one you should listen to."

"I know, I was going to ask Iruka and Shikamaru about it... Although I didn't expect the time to come this fast. Wow..." He sat down. _Jiraiya-sensei... I pray you're seeing all this. I hope I've made you proud.._ He looked out the window, looking at the 4th Hokage;s visage on the mountain_. You too.... Dad. _

_*****_

Sasuke Uchiha took the phone up once more, this time from his hotel room in the town in the central area that the Kage Summit was to be held at. He wasn't going to stick around for long, but he needed to rest for a bit. The Makengyo had exhausted him that night. Tsunade was hard to break, he never raised his sword once, simply made her think she had died. When she said she had no ties to this world, he didn't know how much she meant that.

_This is going to affect those two by a lot. Especially if they find out how I killed her. Then they'll feel pain, to know that they were cast aside. Heh, I always knew she was a damned soul living in the past. Nothing new about that. Come on Kabuto, pick it up already... He's really pissing me off right now..._

Kabuto answered the phone. "Yes?"

"Look Kabuto, I have the body, I'm sure they'll send your team for it. Don't try to cover me up, I want them to know I killed her with the Makengyo. Besides, it shows you're not as suspicious as they thought. Now... Tell me, how are our love birds faring, and who's the Hokage?"

"The Hokage is none other than lover boy over here. As for how they're holding up.... Well, it should be obvious..."

"Pain."

"Yes."

"Good. Make sure they feel it. The time is coming, I feel it."

A man appeared behind him once more. "Well, it seems we have a new leader at the leaf..."

"Yes, Madara, it seems we do....."

"Are you going to assassinate him?"

"Of course not, because he wouldn't be hurting..."

"You and your pain rants... I swear, you're worse than Nagato...."

"And I give a damn because...?"

"Whatever... Just get me that tailed beast. You're the only semi-compitent person left, and I'd rather not lose you..." With that, he left.

_Soon Naruto.. Soon, I will take that last thing you have left. And when I do, you will crumble. I want you begging for mercy when I deliver the despair....._

*****


	19. Chapter 19

*****

Naruto and Sakura stood at a grave marker, clothed in black. Although the body wasn't to be recovered for a little while, the village decided that it was in their best interest to have the ceremony now to settle the fact that Naruto was now in charge. They stood at the marker, which had been placed in the same area as that of the other Hokages. Sakura looked down at the mark, a sad look on her face, but not crying. She knelled down, closing her eyes, thinking.

"Naruto..." she said."Could I have a moment... Alone?"

He nodded, "Of course." He walked away towards another grave, head down, in complete silence. The only sounds audible in this green resting place of honor was the sound of his footsteps and the rustling of the leaves. The beautiful field was so serene, and was not a place of terrible memory for Naruto. On the contrary, it was a place of comfort. He had fled there on many an occasion to visit the graves of the Third and Jiraiya. He would get to them soon enough, though. He wanted to see the grave of his father, maybe he would be able to clear his mind.

He sat down at the gravestone, eyes closed. "Hey, dad..." he said, "Man, it's weird calling you that..." He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. "Well.. .Where do I start? Why the heck is this happening to me? Why did you seal this monster inside of me? I have so many questions! Too bad you aren't here to answer them..." He picked a blade of grass from the lawn, looking at it. "I wonder so often what you were thinking when you put the Kyuubi in me... I know you meant well, but why did I have to suffer? Why did they treat me like dirt? I...." He looked at the blade he picked up, it was wadded up into a small ball the size of a pea. He cast it away to the side, then got up.

"I think I kind of get it now... You didn't know or want this to happen.... It isn't your fault at all... I should never have held that against you... Now I understand what Kakashi-sensei meant... Father... I hope that one day, if we ever meet, you'll forgive me... And I pray you're proud of me. I hope I've lived up to your dreams..." He went towards the grave to the left of it, that of the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. To Naruto, he was still the old man, but he felt like he needed a new title for him.

"Hey, old man.. I mean.. Lord Third... Well, I made it, I'm finally the Hokage! But at a cost...... I just don't know anymore.... Anyways... Look, I hate that I never got around to saying this.... But thanks... For Everything. You looked out for me even when the others spat on me, made sure I wasn't completely helpless.... It may have been lonely, but that wasn't anything you did... Thank you... Oh... And Konohamaru is doing okay, don't worry about him too much. I just hope he grows out of the little quirks he picked up from me, heh, not sure you'd be too happy with me teaching him some of those jutsu." He laughed, just above a whisper. He again moved to that final marker, taking something out of his pocket.

"Pervy sage..." he said, lying down a small scroll on a chain. "I don't know what to do now.... What am I supposed to do? You were right about Sasuke... I know you only wanted to protect me... But what did you expect me to do? I can't just give up on my best friend, that'd make me a quitter... The thought alone makes me gag..." He took his fist, hitting the ground, "But I refuse to allow him to do that again! He nearly killed Sakura, I don't ever want that to happen again!" He began to stand once more. "Sensei... No, Grandfather... I... I just don't know... But I hope you're proud of who I've become... It means a lot to know that you would have been here for me. See ya... See you soon..." He walked towards Sakura, who was now standing up, calm and pulled together.

"You ready to go?" she asked him.

"Yeah... I'm ready." He took her by the hand as they left the place. "Sakura... Could I ask you something?"

"Of course, go for it."

"It's just that I'm not sure about what I'm supposed to do now... The village needs me as their leader, and I just don't know what to do about Sasuke. We never really talked about it on our way back... But when Sasuke and I were talking, he said that I was tied to the bonds... Just like him... He said I couldn't kill him, even when it meant protecting you. That hurt.." he paused, clearing his throat, "It hurt... Because I'm afraid that he may be right."

Sakura looked at him. "I know... I understand... But Naruto, this isn't the same person we're talking about anymore. This is the one who not only tried to kill the both of us, but killed Lady Tsunade. He's shown his true colors, Naruto, and he's our enemy, like it or not."

"I know... But I know there's still some good left in him!"

"But are you really willing to gamble on that small glimmer of hope? Look, I don't want to lose you because of this, you know that! I won't let you die because of it... Naruto, what's happening to you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You always seemed confident... So sure of yourself, knowing what you wanted to do... But now... Now you don't seem that way at all... Deep down inside you aren't sure who you are... But you hide it from everyone... Don't you?"

Naruto took a deep breath, looking her in the eye. "I keep asking myself who I am... I thought I knew... I was Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja, a protector, a person with a dream, a future... But I'm not sure anymore... I feel like I'm a failure. I feel like I'm a burden. I feel like I have no future, and that I'll never truly have my dreams..."

"You're none of those things Naruto, at least not in my eyes... You're not a burden to me, on the contrary, I swear that some days, it's the other way around! You have a will to protect others, and that was what your dream was, to be the Hokage. Here you are, the sixth Hokage, and the people have put their trust in you. I certainly have..."

"But Sakura, I just don't get it," He said as they stopped and sat on a bench, "Who am I? Who is the real me? I don't know... At all. Is it what you just said, the part people see that makes me who I am, or is it the part of me I hide? Am I-" Sakura stopped him, finger on his mouth, just like back at the forest.

"Naruto... Don't discount what you do... All of this is you, flaws included. It's why I love you. I know that you're struggling with understanding what you need to do next... But please, don't tear yourself apart about it! It's healthy to doubt, but don't doubt who you are completely! Don't define yourself because you failed to do something. Jiraiya tried to tell you that... Because if you do..." Naruto nodded.

"I know... I'll end up like him. He didn't want that for me... He always said that he wanted better for me than that..." He sighed. "Sakura... Thanks... I needed to get that off my chest..."

"Hey, you've been there for me when I've needed it... It's the least I could do." They sat there for a few more minutes, simply taking in the quiet time they had together. It had been going non-stop for them since the invasion three months prior. It seemed like things were finally going to slow down for them. At least until the Kage summit in two days. They'd leave then, Naruto was going to take her and Shikamaru, leaving Kakashi and Iruka to hold down the fort in his place.

"Come on," Naruto said, "Let's go... It's getting hot in these things!" They laughed.

"Tell me about it..."

*****

Kabuto walked just outside of the Leaf village, phone in hand, headed on the road towards the meeting place of the Kage summit. He would be keeping an eye out on Naruto, the village could wait. He dialed in the number...

"Kabuto, what the hell do you want?" Sasuke said on the other line.

"Just checking up on you..." He said, "How's the plan going?"

"Quite well... They've already sent the body over, and I'm keeping an eye out for them as they head over."

"Are you going to attack them?"

"Of course I am, but not going in for the kill... Again, not yet, I need to see more of what he can do." There was a pause... "Keep me posted on the village." He hung up.

*****

A man in his early twenties answered his door, knowing good and well who it was. "Hey Iruka." Naruto said in a weary tone.

"Naruto," he replied, "come on in."

Naruto got on the sofa, laying down. "I talked to Sakura, if things stay good for tonight, I should be out of your hair."

"Out of my hair, come on Naruto, anytime!" He laughed, "You ever need anything from me, I'm there in a flash."

"They you'll be fine with me leaving you and Kakashi in charge while I'm gone?"

"Wait, you're talking about when you leave for the Kage summit, aren't you?"

Naruto stretched out, turning on the TV, he wanted to check up on something real fast.... "Yep. I need you and Kakashi to keep things running while I'm gone. Sasuke may show his face at any moment, and I don't want to risk it."

"Not a problem... But are you sure about this?"

"Dead. Hey, don't make me change my mind, I trust you'll be fine." He laughed, "If I can be the Hokage, I'm sure you can hold the fort with backup..."

He looked at the TV, watching the news start to come in about the Kage summit, looking to see if anything new had happened that he'd not been told about. "You know, Naruto," Iruka replied, "You'd know anything before they did."

"True, but it's still good to know what the people know..." he turned off the TV, laying down. "Well, see you in the morning, I'm pooped."

"Heh, job already too much?"

"What ate you talking about? The hard part was the ceremony!"

"I'm sure... Speaking of which, how did Sakura take all of this?"

"As well as could be expected. I think she's accepted it now. We'll see in the morning." He yawned, putting his head down on the pillow, "I hope getting her out of here will help. Hey, did Shikamaru get back this afternoon, I was counting on him coming along."

"Yeah, he called me up to let you know that he'll be there in the morning. Get some rest, you'll need it." Naruto closed his eyes and drifted away to sleep, praying that the nightmares had truly gone away....

*****


	20. Chapter 20

*****

Naruto was back in the void. Again. It had been four days since the last time he dreamed of it. _Dang it, I thought they were gone.... Clearly not._

He found that he was no longer floating, but this time, walking over an invisible floor. He looked around, but found that he was alone. No other people, no kyuubi, nothing. The only thing in the sterile white and silver void was him. "Hello?" Naruto called out, "Hello? Is anyone out there? Jiraiya-sensei? Sakura? Dad?" His voice was building with a sense of panic. "Please, whoever is out there... What on earth is going on?"

"Maybe I can clear things up." a voice said, "Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you." Naruto looked, but could not find the voice's owner. It was the same voice he had heard from the last night before. "What did you think of your reprieve?"

"Reprieve, what the hell are you talking about, you mean the nightmares?"

"No need to be so harsh... But yes, the nightmares."

"I thought they were gone.."

"They were. But you still are going to have to face the facts, Naruto. The choice, Naruto... Will you allow yourself to throw it all away on a whim?"

"Trying to save Sasuke is NOT throwing my life away on a whim, this is my best friend you're talking about!"

"But he isn't your best friend, he's not the same person you knew. He's decided to go down a path you could never accept. He's abandoned himself, having made compromises to gain power. Now he has chosen a new path and goal. He wishes to turn on you, are you so certain that you can save a friend who doesn't wish to be saved?"

"Yes... I think....." Naruto looked down, "Actually.... I don't know anymore. At all. I've been questioning myself for a long time now, and now, I'm not sure I can protect anyone."

"You're the Hokage now, it was always planned to be that way. You underestimate yourself, Naruto. You're more than capable of doing the job under normal circumstances."

"But it isn't normal circumstance. This is my best friend that I've been trying to bring back home wanting to kill the village. And then there's protecting those closest to me from him.... Sakura especially, he knows that she's that important to me...."

"Naruto, this is yet another trial in your life, one I know you can overcome... But the only way this can happen is if you realize who you are."

"But I know who I am already!"

"Are you so certain?"

"No one knows me better than myself."

"I beg to differ. I see who you are, who you were, and who you are to become, and the incompetent soul you're portraying yourself as is not the person I see."

"Then you're blinding yourself, looking at the facade that I put on to fool others."

"I think you're the one that's blinding yourself. You've chosen to rate yourself on failure rather than success. The only thing that comes from failure is more failure if you don't try to improve. Naruto Uzumaki, you may be insecure, but you need to accept that there are things beyond your control... And you can't be everything to everyone. That brings me back to where we were last time we spoke."

Sakura appeared in the center of the void, lying on the ground, eyes closed, at peace. "How far are you willing to go for her?"

"To hell and back."

"Then why are you so concerned about not being able to protect her?"

Naruto took a breath, sighed, taking a moment to ponder on these thoughts... "I don't know... But I feel like I'm going to fail her."

"You're human, Naruto, of course you're going to fail, but you can't ignore the fact that you mean just as much to her."

"Easy for you to say, you seem to know a lot about everyone....." Naruto sighed, "I'm all alone, aren't I?"

The voice laughed, "Only if you wish it so.... Do you want that?"

"No.... I never want to be alone, especially now..."

"Then go.... I'll be with you every step of the way." The voice went silent, and the void began to fade away.

"Wait!" Naruto shouted, "Your name! What's your name!" As there was a fade to black, he heard one thing in his head: _I am who I am.... That's all you need to know for now....._

*****

The sound of a electric guitar woke Naruto immediately, hand smacking the button on his clock. He pushed himself out of bed and grabbed his stuff. Shaking his head, he wasn't sure about the voice that night... _A reprieve...? Oh God, please, don't tell me that I'm going to start having those nightmares again... _"Iruka-sensei!" He shouted at the door, "I'm outta here, gotta get my stuff all together, see you in a couple hours!" He left the place, closing the door behind him. He headed for his home, still the same place. The hokage palace once was the place the Hokage lived. Not anymore, because Naruto wasn't too excited about losing a piece of what made the village the village. He wanted to be part of it, not above it.

He pondered on as he headed home, the line repeated in his head, pounding like a drum. '_I am what I am...... That's all you need to know for now...' What the heck does that mean? Was that me talking? No, it sounded nothing like my voice. Could it be someone from the future? No, that's just stupid, time-travel doesn't really work; if it did, I'd have used it by now. So what the heck is this voice? _He walked up to his door, taking out his key, entering his home.

_Maybe I'm just making this all up, I mean, they're just dreams. Could it be that I'm driving myself insane? Or is it something else... Something completely different? Maybe it's the Kyuubi trying to get me to let go... No... Can't be, 'cause I'd know if it was him. No, this voice is far too comforting and sensible than that bag of bones... _He put down his stuff and jumped into the shower, taking his time, letting himself talk about the dream.

"It has to be something, no, someone.... Argh! Why am I letting this bother me so much? Simple, the voice said itself that it knew me better than I know myself. How the heck does that work? He'd have to be able to read my mind, that's impossible! Maybe that's the whole point.... Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I made it up after all, but it's that last thing he said.... 'I am who I am,', and 'That's all you need to know for now'. Where have I heard that before? Meh, probably another video game or something. Heck, probably heard it in a dozed different games or animes, sounds like a good line. But if it's right, and if I didn't make it up... Whatever, I'm thinking way to much into it..."

He got out of the shower, brushed his teeth, and grabbed the scroll. He looked at it again, remembering the fight back when Kohona was destroyed. The toads put up a good fight, but Pa didn't make it... _Well.... Maybe I don't need this anymore... I'd better leave it, it's dead weight... Sorry. Jiraiya-sensei, sorry toads... I can't carry this with me this time. _He put it on the rack that held the rest of his gear, and took a moment to admire it. He grabbed a few items and placed them in his bag. A music player Jiraiya had bought him, a couple volumes of manga, a notebook, and a few pencils and pens were all he was taking as far as non-essentials went. He threw in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt for good measure, so he could wash the clothes he was currently wearing when he got there. Granted, the older kages might find the jeans a bit ratty, and the shirt screamed Otaku with a ghosted picture of a man with a long sword, walking through flames, but he didn't care at this point. Think what they want of him, he knew he was young, but they'd change their minds if they dared to fight him.

Naruto looked around, making sure he had everything. His living room wasn't too trashed, but there were a couple game controllers on the floor as well as a couple DVDs out of their cases. The place didn't smell bad, rather had a scent of clean cotton. Simple, but it let Sakura come over without complaining too much. Having decided that he had all of his stuff, he left his home, ready to meet up with the others. One last thought entered his mind before he left: How far are you willing to go for her?_To hell and back... No... Further than that... I'd die... Forever... cease to exist if it meant keeping her alive..._

_*****_

"Hey Lord Sixth, you all geared up?" Asked Shikamaru Nara.

"You're saying that to tick me off, aren't you Shikamaru?" Naruto said, laughing.

"Hey, just a little bit." He flicked a coin into the air, catching it without even looking. "So, where's Sakura?"

"No clue, haven't seen her all day..."

"Wow, that surprises me, you two are always together. Especially lately. Something going on between you two since your last mission?"

"Something like that... She loves me..."

"No..." Shikamaru said sarcastically, "Really?" He laughed, "Women, they can be such a pain... But you know, whatever floats your boat... Not that Sakura's a pain, but you know what I mean.... I swear, she could probably beat us to a pulp if we're not careful!"

"Why do you think it's just the three of us? She could practically kill us! Although her job is technically to heal us, so I wouldn't worry too much."

Shikamaru sat down, "Looks like she's taking her sweet time."

He joined him on the ground, "Well, we are 15 minutes early..."

"True..Hey, you hear anything from Sai recently?"

"He's already at the summit area."

"What!?"

"Yeah, Grannie sent him way ahead in order to make sure she got there... He's the one that found the body... And the one that recognized the sword that impaled her."

"So that's where he's been.."

"Yeah, I was a bit confused when I got back and didn't see him. He's changed quite a bit, although he still needs to learn a thing or two about having a social life.... Well, at least I can talk to him about Anime and RPGs!"

"You introduce him to your PS2?"

"Actually, he already had one. Evidently, ANBU pays pretty dang well...."

"Considering you're supposed to waste your body if you're about to be KIA, I'd hope the guy's getting some cash! Anyways, though... Man, what is taking that girl so long? You think she went to Lady Fifth's grave?"

"Oh God, the last thing we need is another Kakashi!" They both cracked up, "So cruel, but so funny!"

"You know," a voice said, "I don't think the Hokage is supposed to be able to make fun of his substitute..."

Naruto looked down at his neck, turning around to see who had a Kunai at his neck. "Oh crap... Kakashi-sensei.... Uh..."

He laughed, "I know, don't worry, bad habit of mine. I've gotten over it. So, you're missing one of your team...

"Not anymore."

"Sakura! Where were you?"

She handed him a bag, "Getting the food. What, you think I'm going to waste my time with the past? Yeah, I'm going to miss Lady Tsunade, but she'd kill me if I did that everyday."

The two 16 year old boys got up, standing in front of the gate. Naruto then turned to Kakashi, "You know what to do. If for some reason something happens, you're the Hokage."

"Don't worry, nothing will, you can handle yourselves quite well.."

Naruto turned to Sakura and Shikamaru. "Well then, shall we?"

*****

"Sasuke," Kabuto said on his phone, "they're leaving right now. Just thought I'd give you a heads up."

"Good. They'll be in for a surprise tomorrow tonight...." He hung the phone up.

Kabuto thought, _Man, I'm getting sick of him doing that.... Well, at least it shouldn't be much longer... Either way, I win... God, I love being a rogue..._

*****


	21. Chapter 21

*****

Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru were taking a break. They'd run for over two hours straight now, and they needed a rest. Naruto placed a hand over his chest, trying to catch his breath as he began _to_ sit down. Sakura looked at where it was, it was around place he'd been stabbed and cut the other day. _ That doesn't look good at all, _She thought, _He's going to hurt himself if he pushes himself too hard. He hasn't had time to fully recover yet..._

"Whew!" Naruto exclaimed, "I didn't realize how hard that was..." He pulled out a bottle of water, taking a long drink from it. He landed on the ground with a thud, taking a deep breath.

"Something wrong?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sorta.. Don't tell anyone else, but I'm still trying to recover from a few injuries."

"What kind of injuries?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure, I was unconscious the whole time." He laughed, coughing a bit of water.

"He was stabbed just below the lung by Sasuke," Sakura said, "then made a huge gash across his chest."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Wait, Naruto, you cut yourself?"

"A couple times, last time was supposed to be pretty bad, ruined my shirt too."

"Your nightmares, right?"

"Yeah..." His tone was abysmal, giving Sakura a sense of doubt that everything was fine. "They're gone, though, so we don't really have to worry about it."

Sakura shook her head, the way Naruto said that last comment made her uneasy. They were going to have to keep an eye on him. Hokage or not, he was still Naruto, and the last thing she wanted was for him to start hurting himself again because they backed off too soon. "Well, I think that you might want to watch yourself, Naruto, we don't know for sure if your dreams aren't connected to something." She yawned, covering her mouth, then wiped the sweat from her forehead. Even though they had three days back at home, she and Naruto hadn't had much time to recover from their last mission.

Shikamaru looked at the two, easily seeing that they were tired. _Man, and I thought I' had a quick turnaround from my mission.... _"Naruto, Sakura, how much sleep did you two get?"

Sakura scratched her head, "Not much, maybe five hours last night?"

"Heh," Naruto laughed, "I got four."

Shikamaru shook his head, "Not what I meant. How much sleep have you gotten since the attach happened?"

"Oh..." Naruto scratched his head, "Five on a good day, I think I got three once..."

"Was that the time you made breakfast?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. How much sleep have you been getting?"

"About five hours, maybe six on a good day."

"Dang," Shikamaru replied, "No wonder you all look so God awful."

"Jeez, thanks." Naruto said, laughing. He shook his head, "Well, we better get a move on..."

"I don't think so, not in your condition. Take a breather, you too Sakura. You've been going non-stop since that last attack, you deserve a few minutes of peace."

Naruto sat back, leaning on a tree, something he hadn't done for a long time. _Last time I remember relaxing like this was when Jiraiya and I were training.... Before he left.. Before he fought Pain...._

A few more minutes passed, nearly silent, save for the sound of rustling leaves. Sakura got up, moving towards Naruto, who was starting to fall asleep. She put a hand on his forehead, hand through his hair. "Naruto, you awake?" There was no answer. She looked at Shikamaru, "You think I should wake him up? "

He shook his head, "Give him fifteen minutes, that should be all he needs."

*****

Sasuke took up his sword, hacking away at the trunk of a tree. The sound of metal smashing against wood filled the area. The tree was nearly unscathed, but the blade was losing it's edge. A cloaked man came out of the shadows, mask keeping his face obscure. "What are you trying to do, Sasuke? That isn't going to help your sword any."

"I know that, Madara." He said as he continued to smack the tree, "That's the whole point..."

"Why would you want a dull blade when you're going after the most deadly thing in the world?"

"Simple, because a dull blade is harder to wield. Not only that, but it also causes the most pain.... Just like the pain that comes from those closest to you."

"You really are worse than Nagato...."

"Shut the hell up about him, he took away my claim to that damn place."

"Sore that he did what you could not?"

"What, you mean nearly capture the Kyuubi? Meh, I don't care. He failed just the same, and it cost him his life." He dragged his finger across the blade, it didn't scathe him whatsoever. "You know the funny thing about causing emotional pain, though?" He took the sword and stabbed towards the tree while channeling chackra. It left a clean hole all the way through the trunk. "It pierces the heart... Just like a dull sword can only pierce....."

*****

Naruto stood in front of the village gate once again. Holding a kunai in his right hand, the darkness of night enveloped his home that he had beem chosen to lead and protect. He looked in the distance, a sole figure stood there. He knew the silhouette anywhere, it was Sasuke again. _Oh God, not again... Not again...._ He charged towards the figure, but then he suddenly was no longer there. He turned around and blocked a katana, gritting his teeth as he tried to keep the blade from striking him.

Sasuke pushed harder against the kunai, laughing as Naruto started to lean closer and closer to the ground. Naruto placed his left hand on the blade, and shoved him back, springing back up to his feet. He threw the Kunai, aiming for Sasuke's arm, only to see it deflected directly back at him. The weapon grazed his cheek, making a gash on one of the marks that signified him as the Kyuubi's Jingchuriki. He made a Rasengan in his hand, yelling at the top of his lungs. He met a chidori from Sasuke in return for his attempt, both canceling each other out. He took his sword and stabbed Naruto's side, the pain stronger than from just a blade.

Sasuke laughed, "You'll never learn, will you Naruto?" He removed the blade from Naruto's arm, the throbbing began to spread around. "I promised you pain..."

"Naruto!"

"Sakura! Get away!"

Naruto's world went black as he heard Sakura scream...


	22. Chapter 22

*****

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted as he awoke reaching down his leg for a kunai. She and Shikamaru were standing in front of him, he turned his head up towards them.

Shikamaru had a puzzled look on his face, Naruto's skin had gone pale, as sense of shock was all over him. Naruto turned his head towards Sakura, eyes wet, close to bursting out into tears. She sat down next to him, placing her arm around his shoulder. _Oh my God, _Shikamaru thought,_ is this what's happening to him? The nightmares... I thought they were bad, but this.. This isn't like him at all, he never cries about things...._

"Naruto," Sakura said, "It's okay... It's over now, just calm down." Naruto covered his face with both his hands, face now dry.

He looked at both of them, then said, "How long was I out?"

"Fifteen minutes." Shikamaru answered. Naruto shook his head, he couldn't believe that only 15 minutes had passed...

"I've got an order for you two, then.... Don't let that happen again, no matter what, don't let me sleep unless I have to. And make sure I'm up as soon as possible..." He sighed, looking down at the ground, "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take..."

"Naruto," Sakura said, "I know it hurts. Believe me, just seeing you like this hurts me too, but you need to pull yourself together."

"She's right. You're the Hokage, what will people think if they see you like this?"

Naruto was silent for a few seconds... "You're right, they'll say I'm incompetent, an emotional train wreck. They'd say that Lady 5th was a fool..... Don't let me let you all down, keep me on my toes. And make sure you wake me up in the morning, Shikamaru..."

"You'll wake up, your alarm's so obnoxious that it'd wake anyone up."

"Hey, I love that guitar solo, it's classic!" He laughed, "Not like your's is any better, at least mine is actually played on one guitar!"

"So what, mine sounds better!"

Sakura shook her head at their little argument. W_ell,at least he's somewhat back to normal... _"Come on, we need to go, grab your stuff."

He nodded, "Right." He reached down for his pack, then retorted as he slung it onto his back, "Well, three hours down, another two days left.... This is going to be a long day..."

*****

That evening, Sasuke chose to get a glance at what he was going to be up against that next day. He sat on the branch of a tree a few miles away from the town, binoculars in hand. He rubbed his eyes, things were starting to get blurry. _Damn, I really do need to get some glasses. I didn't think the __Makengyo did that much... Whatever, now's not the time for that..._

_*****_

The clock read 12:45 AM, and Naruto wasn't tired. Sakura and Shikamaru had fallen asleep an hour ago, and he wasn't looking forward to another nightmare. He'd run off of less sleep before, sometimes, he'd go for five days straight when he and Jiraiya were training. Granted, he did get an hour here and there to he honest, but he didn't think it made that much of a difference... Unless Kyuubi was doing something, but he doubted that. He popped in the earbuds connected to his mp3 player. Jiraiya had bought it for his last birthday, it was a serious fringe product, no one in Kohona carried any. Next to no one had a true computer anyway, those that did paid tens of thousands of ryu, almost a year's salary for him, and he was a sage! He just used the ones they had at the library, it wasn't like he had a lot of CDs anyway. Besides, he didn't have room for one anyway, his games and movies took up too much space as it was.

Naruto grabbed the player and turned up the volume, guitar blaring through the speakers. He could still hear around him, but it wasn't so quiet. He stood absolutely still, trying to concentrate his focus on nature. Nature chakra was a funny thing, it reminded him of something he read or watched recently. He couldn't place his finger on it, though... He opened his eyes, now yellow and frog-like. He placed his pointer and middle fingers together, making two shadow clones. The both sat down, not moving at all.

_Good, _he thought, _Looks like I can still do this pretty well... _He made a couple more clones, who stood to his left and right. He held out his hand, the others placing their hands just over it. A small ball formed in his hands, he wasn't about to stress himself out over this. Edges began to expand from the sphere as he added wind element to it. _Oh God, I hope this doesn't backfire again!_

Naruto threw the sphere at the tree, but it was off to the right by about a couple inches. It still hit a tree, but not it's proper target. Naruto frowned, pulling out the earbuds. "Blast, must've lost focus!"

One of the clones yawned, "You sure about that? we've done that before a couple times no problem with the player. I'd say we're tired. You wanna call it a night?"

"NO!" Naruto shouted, "No, I'm not going to bed! No way I'm going to deal with that again..."

One of the clones scratched his head, thinking of an idea. "Hey, here's a thought, why don't you ask Sakura to give you something that'll let you sleep without dreaming? Something like that fruit in the graphic novel you were reading last week!"

Naruto shook his head, "That was in a fantasy world... But.... You might be on to something... It's worth a try, let's see if that'll work."

*****

Sasuke took his eyes out of the binoculars. _Sage mode, I heard he had mastered it, but dear God... What the hell was that jutsu? Looks like he's a wind user... That's not good for my Chidori.... But I still have fire, and from what I can tell, he only has that one element.... _He watched Naruto go back into the building, trying to figure out just what was going on. _He looks pissed... Maybe he wasn't supposed to hit that tree after all...._

"You might want to watch your back."

"Shut up, Madara. I'm trying to see what I'm up against..."

He chuckled a bit, scratching the back of his neck. You could never tell what he was up to when he wore that mask..."Tomorrow, right?"

"Tomorrow night..." He held his hands together, obscuring his mouth to anyone in front of him.

"Will you have the Kyuubi for me?"

"Not yet.. Not until I get my sweet revenge..." he said as he shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

"You know," Madara said as he walked away from the area, "you might want to get those eyes of yours checked. I think I neglected to tell you the consequences of using them so much...."

*****

Sakura walked around the room, she couldn't get back to sleep. Even though she tried to hide it all day, she was still hurting about Lady Tsunade. _I know I'm not supposed to be moping around about it, I told Naruto to calm down about Jiraiya.... But I didn't know it'd hurt this much... _She laid back down, wiping tears from her face. It was bad enough that she was dealing with Naruto's dreams, but losing someone important to you was even worse. Someone you loved...

A knock came from the door. Sakura opened the door, seeing Naruto in his sage garb.

"Naruto! What are you doing up so late?!?"

He scratched his head, his eyes showed a lack of sleep . "Sorry Sakura, did I wake you up?"

She shook her head, eyes to the ground, "No, it's fine... I'm having trouble myself..."

"Granny Tsunade?"

She nodded. "That and your dreams..."

"I was wanting to talk to you about that."

She motioned for Naruto to come in closing the door behind him. He looked around the room. With the exception of the bed, everything was where it was when they got there. Next to the bed was a book with a green cover, paperback. "Hey, I think I've read that one..."

"Yeah, good one, right?"

"Yeah..." Naruto shook his head, "Anyways, do you have anything that can knock me out without making me dream?"

"Actually... I think I do." She dug into her bag, looking for a plastic bottle, "But you need to be careful, I brought these just in case this happened, but you need to be aware that they might become addictive if you're not careful."

"Okay, I'll try not to use them too often. There anything I can do for you?"

Sakura sat down. "Actually.. Yes, there is... Naruto, when Jiraiya died, how long did it take for you to get back to normal?"

Ha sat next to her, "To be honest Sakura, I never did... When you lose someone you love, it hurts more than any blade does... But.. You learn to move on. It'll take a while, trust me... Lady Tsunade, right?"

She nodded, "Naruto... I'm sorry I was so hard on you when Jiraiya died..."

He put his arm around her, "It's okay, you didn't know... And you're not alone, I miss her too..."

"You called her Lady Tsunade... Didn't you?"

"Yeah... I did, didn't I?"

"And you've been haven't been calling Jiraiya pervy sage either.... Why the sudden change?"

He smiled, "I guess I learned to respect my elders..."

The just sat there for a few more seconds, then Naruto got up. "Well, thanks for the stuff, I'll see you in a few hours... Try to get some rest."

Sakura watched him leave the room, smiling at her as he shut the door. _Naruto... Thank you..... Again..... _

*****

Naruto took one of the pills Sakura had given him. It worked for the full four hours of sleep he got. But he still felt tired, and went back to sleep. He'd forgotten to take another pill. And his world was about to go topsey-turvy all over again....


	23. Chapter 23

Naruto opened his eyes. He was expecting to find himself in the room he was staying at. He only saw the blackness. Another void, but completely different from the last one. _What the heck? Where am I? Did someone throw me in a basement or something? _He rubbed his eyes, he was as clear as day, but the world around him was totally black. He tried to figure out what was going on, turning around, only to see a light emitting from afar. He squinted his eyes, he could see a figure in it, but he couldn't figure out who it was.

He started to walk towards it, but felt a tug on his back. He turned around to see a kid behind him. It was a younger him, but this time he was older. He wore the blue headband still, but the jacket was the black and orange one, rolled up at the sleeves. He was 4'11, face no longer mischievous, but not matured either, giving off a strange sense of innocence.

"Hey... You're me in a couple years, aren't you?" He asked, a sense of comfort came from his voice.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I am."

"Nice cloak, I like it" He smiled, "How's Sakura doing?"

"Honestly, not so good... Lady Tsunade died..."

"Grannie? Wow... How about the Pervy Sage, is he gone too?"

"Yeah..."

"When?"

"It's all happened within the past few months..." The young Naruto walked up to his older self, scratching his head.

"What are you going to do? Who's the Hokage, Kakashi-sensei?"

"No... I am... And I'm not so sure anymore..."

"Whoa! Then why are you so grim? Didn't you save Sasuke?"There was a brief pause, giving the young one the hint... "You haven't then... How's Sakura taking to that, then?"

"She doesn't care about him that way... He almost killed her, too.... And I think I'm going to lose her."

"Whoa there, stop right there. Did I hear that right?"

Naruto nodded, "She told me something almost a week ago..."

"Are you telling me Sakura LIKES us? As in, like like?"

"Loves." He said, looking towards the side, shaking his head. "There's a difference."

"Whatever, same thing, but why are you going to lose her?"

He sighed, "Because I'm not strong enough..."

"Are you so sure?" Another voice called out.

"Sakura?"

He turned around, Sakura stood in front of him, just as she was when he left her. "If there's one thing you're not, Naruto, it's weak. You're not the Hokage because Lady Tsunade randomly pulled names, it's because she had faith in your ability."

"But what if I'm not good enough? If it were just my life, it wouldn't be a problem, but this.. This is different!"

"How? How is this different?" She walked around him, placing a hand on the back of the young Naruto.

"Because it's you! I can't lose you now!"

She took the child's hand, and began to fade into black, saying "Guess what, Naruto.... I can't lose you either...."

"SAKURA!!!!" He ran towards where she stood and found himself gripping something in his heart and holding a body. Sakura's body... They were both bleeding in the heart, a sword stuck in both of them. Sasuke removed it, chuckling a bit as it sliced through Naruto's hand.

"Well you two... Can you feel it yet?"

*****

It was 6:00 in the morning, and the one with no name worked in the small room he'd been supplied with for the time being. He was to be completely invisible, no one was to know he was there until the time was right. He was alone for this job, and he didn't mind it one bit. He had few friends, and those he had would arrive soon enough anyway. He took a look at the autopsy reports he had sent ahead with the body he recovered, trying to see if he missed anything. _There's something about this wound that looks off... It had to be a katana, but it looks like more than that.... Like there was a poison involved... _

He went through the file cabinets that were placed in the room for him far in advance. They weren't 100% sure, but they knew the risks were very real. He pulled out the file on poisons, and indeed, he was right. This wasn't a normal poison, and it only came from one place. He grabbed the phone from the cradle. _They don't use katana, but I know who does... And he would definitely be able to replicate it. Otherwise those eyes of his are useless!_

"Yes, this is Sai. I've finished the autopsy.... And I know who killed Lady 5th."

*****

Iruka walked through the door, papers in his hands. This was going to be one crazy day of paperwork. He walked up to Kakashi, a grim look was on his face. "What's up?"

"We have the information on the 5th's killer... It's Sasuke."

Iruka was shocked, "I buy that, but.... Oh crap, do you have the number for Naruto's current location?"

Kakashi shook his head, "We have no clue where they are, Naruto said he'd call when they got phone access."

"Shoot! That's not until they get to the summit's location!"

"I know." Kakashi lowered his head, a sign of calmness upon his face.

"How can you just be like that, the Hokage is in danger, and you're just sitting there? Besides, this is our pupil we're talking about!"

"Iruka, we need to simply have faith that nothing will happen. He'll get there safely, and he has Sakura and Shikamaru with him."

"True, but this is Sasuke we're talking about."

"And Naruto's a sage."

"Good point..." He looked out the window, "Let's just hope he pulls out of this.... What do we tell the village?"

"Nothing. We say nothing until Naruto learns of this. He'll break the news, it's his job. Tell Yamato, but keep everyone out of the loop."

He nodded and went to find the ANBU captain. _I hope Naruto's prepared...._

*****

Naruto sprung from his bed, a guitar solo that was all to familiar to him woke him from the nightmare. He put a hand on his chest, nothing was there, just sweat. He wiped his forehead, also drenched. _Dang, that was NOT cool.. I nodded off again... _He smacked Shikamaru's clock, then walked up to him, nudging the black haired Chunin's arm.

He rubbed his eyes, "Jeez, you're full of energy..." He pushed himself up, "You finally get some sleep?"

He nodded, "No dreams for about four hours..."

"Four hours?"

"I ended up falling asleep again, about an hour ago..."

"So that's why you're up so fast."

"Something like that." He stretched, then grabbed a towel.

"Where are you headed?"

"Hot springs, I need to clear my head..."

"Well, don't take too long.. You want me to let Sakura know where you are?"

"Go ahead, but I'll be back soon enough. Hopefully she won't show up for another hour or so."

"Why?"

"She's still struggling with the Lady Tsunade thing... And my dreams.... I just hope things are better for her nights.." Naruto threw something out of his pocket, then exited the room, closing the door softly behind him.

_His player... He wasn't out last night, was he? Whatever, doesn't matter, at least he got a little decent sleep... _He looked at the book by Naruto's bed, and grabbed it. _Showdown... Hmm, looks good. I'm sure he won't mind me taking a look at it..._

*****


	24. Chapter 24

*****

Naruto was sitting down, head in the water. It was soothing, something he hadn't done ever since Jiraiya died... He thought about the last night. _Sakura, myself when I was younger.... Was I really like that? Probably, but it all changed again when we got closer to the time we came back home... Then again, there was no one to really talk to, it was a little lonely... But I would never trade those times... It makes me wonder, though, does Sakura truly feel that way, or is my mind just flying off the deep end? _

He got up a little, the cool morning breeze was a little uncomfortable due to the temperature difference. He dried off his head, looking at the clock on the wall. He'd been in there for half an hour... _I'd better get back, hopefully Sakura isn't awake yet, I kinda want to surprise her again. Need to see what I've got for food... Hmm.... Well, whatever, I just hope she got sleep. It's been a rough week, and next week isn't looking any better. She's going to need it._

*****

It was night in the middle of nowhere, and Sakura found herself next to Naruto, hidden in the trees. Someone was after them, Naruto giving her a signal to stay back. He pressed a finger against his lips, looking her in the eye. He placed his fingers together, the sound of clones being made in the distance was audible. She understood what he was trying to do. She heard the sound of one clone poof away.

"Naruto," she whispered, "What's going on?"

His eyes widened, "He's here, come on!" He grabbed Sakura's hand, dragging her along with him. She followed, trying to keep up with the boy.

"Who is he?"

"Who do you think, It's Sasuke!" He looked back, then closed his eyes for a second, wincing. "Oh crap, he got the second one.. Sakura, stay here!"

"No, I'm not letting you go off and get yourself killed, let me come too!"

"Forget it Sakura, just run! I'll buy you some time, it's me he wants the most anyway."

"Naruto!" Sasuke was right behind him. Naruto faced him, Kunai in hand.

"Run!"

Sakura couldn't move. She reached for her Kunai, but found nothing. She tried to channel chakra into her hand, but nothing was happening. She saw Sasuke start to rush Naruto, catching him in a paralysis. She got in the way of the blade, shrieking as it pierced her in the chest, straight through her left lung. She gasped, feeling Naruto catch her body. He cried out in pain. Her world was going black as she heard bits of a sentence. "..You two..Can you feel it...t?"

*****

Sakura was tossing and turning when she woke from her sleep, gasping and panting for breath. She put a hand on her chest, nothing was wrong. _Nightmare... Just a nightmare.. It's going to be okay, you're still here, and Naruto's still alive... _She looked at the clock, 7:15 AM. _Almost six hours.. Good. I hope Naruto got sleep... _She heard a knock at her door, and cracked the door open a little bit.

"Sakura?" Said a voice. It was Naruto's. She stuck her head out a little bit, just enough to look him in the eye.

"Hold on a second, I'm not ready yet, okay?"

"Okay... Let me know when you're done, I got a little something for you."

Sakura shut the door, getting dressed as quickly as possible. Naruto had something behind his back when she looked, but she wasn't able to get a good glance at it. She returned to the door, opening it to see Naruto with a bowl.

"Here," he said as he gave her the bowl, "Do you like it?"

She looked in the bowl, finding it to have Umeboshi. "Yeah, it's my favorite, thanks." She smiled as she ate one of the small dried fruits, the sour taste pleasant to her mouth. "So, you get any sleep?"

"For the most part, yes." They both sat down at a small table. Naruto took one of the fruits from the bowl. He wasn't the biggest fan of them, but he could see the appeal. "Got a good five hours worth. Here's my question, did you?"

She looked down, "Six hours, yes... But... They weren't exactly good hours..."

"Don't tell me you're getting nightmares too...."

"No, it's just this one... Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She ate another of the small fruits, savoring the flavor.

"Sakura, I need to tell you something... I'm scared..."

"Why?"

"I woke up after about four hours, I didn't take another pill, and nodded off..."

"What happened?"

"I saw a younger me again, he was a bit older this time... Then, I saw you... You told me I underestimate myself, that you couldn't lose me... And at the end, we were both stabbed, you in the chest, me in the heart... And Sasuke asked us if we felt it yet..."

_Oh my God..._ Sakura closed her eyes... "I dreamed the same thing. Not the whole thing, but the end..." She put her hands on the side of her head, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Do you think this means something?"

"Of course it means something, the real question is if it's stress or something more." She looked at Naruto dead in the eye, grabbing his right hand.. "The other nights, when you were with Iruka, nothing happened, right?"

"Right.... Well, at least until the last day..."

"Tell me."

"Someone asked me what I thought of my reprieve... And was told that it was all about to end." He shook his head, "I'm just not sure, though... Not one bit..."

"Look Naruto, we'll make it through this. Together." Naruto smiled as they got up from the table, headed towards the door. "Hey, thanks for the fruit, it was good.... Wait a second.... Did you leave Shikamaru in the room by himself?"

" Yeah, but we already ate something else. I bought these for you myself. "

"Let me guess... Ramen, right?"

He laughed, "Only always!"

"At this hour, I swear, your stomach is going to be cramping up all day!"

"Well, we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen, won't we?"

"We?" She laughed, "That's your problem, not mine. Maybe you'll change your mind on eating it at this hour!"

*****

It was afternoon in Kohona, and the body of Lady Tsunade had just arrived. Kabuto grabbed the buzzing phone in his pocket. "Hello?"

"Has it arrived yet?" the man on the other line asked.

"Yes... It has..."

"Good... Has Sasuke learned of our little plan yet?"

"No. Not yet."

"Good... Keep it that way."

"Of course.... Madara..." He hung up the phone, chuckling. _Akatsuki... Ever since Pain was taken down, they've been a mess. Can't even function as a proper group.... Oh well, at least I get to laugh when this is all done..._

*****


	25. Chapter 25

*****

_**Author's Note**_

**Although I had said this at the beginning of the story, this takes place after the events of the Pain arc. It assumes that Kakashi and Tsunade survived the story. As you're well aware of, I said that the tale ran off of what happened up to Chapter 430. This chapter deals with things that were revealed in Chapter 439. If you have not read Chapter 439, do not read this chapter of the fic, and instead place your time in far superior literature (XD) and read that first. Anyways, that's your last warning, and yes, though this was a, in a way, spur of the moment change, it doesn't affect the plot in the least, rather, it allows it to continue to it's eventual climax much smoother (yeah, I'm trying to justify references to past events that hadn't happened yet, lol. Such is the cost of writing a story off the heels of an arc that has been as unpredictable as this one.... Dang, I really didn't know what the heck I was getting myself into!). Now, without further delay, Naruto: Shattered Dreams, Chapter 25.**

_*****_

It was dark, the cool air sent chills up Sasuke's spine. He stood on top of a building, watching as the three Kohona nin approached the town. He chuckled, now wearing a pair of glasses. _It's good to be able to see correctly again... Now.. Let's see just how far he's gotten with this Sage mode of his. _He jumped off the building, landing in the street, running towards the town's front gate.

"Sasuke." A voice called towards him. Sasuke stopped for a second.

"Shut up Madara, I'm working on it..."

"Just make sure that you actually succeed this time.... Do NOT fail me again Sasuke." He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, catching Sasuke off guard again. _How he does that, I'll never know...._ He continued his path to the gate, the three were but minutes away, and he needed to be prepared. _It's time Naruto... Time to prove that I'm still better than you._

*****

Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru slowed from a sprint to a walk as they approached the gate of the village. Naruto looked around as he heard the rustling of leaves. The cool breeze reminded him of the end of his dream. Sakura felt unease as she looked at the trees surrounding the entrance. _It's just like last night... _She thought, _Exactly like last night, only Shikamaru is here... Is this what Naruto felt on our way to the Sand?_

As they continued, they heard a thump, watching a solitary figure land from the gate. Upon the sound, Naruto motioned for them to hide. Sakura looked Naruto in the eye, he nodded. _Oh God, this isn't good... _He motioned at Shikamaru to stay with Sakura. He made two shadow clones, each hiding behind a different tree. They sat there, waiting for the order to begin...He placed a finger on his mouth, looking as Sakura, then mouthed something to her_. "Stay back. It'll be okay._" She nodded in response, but the look of fear was evident.

Silently, she replied, "_Just be careful." _Naruto jumped high into the air, trying not to reveal their location. It was his fight, not anyone else's. He stood in the pathway once again, staring at the figure in front of him. The silhouette of the back coat all to familiar, a blade's hilt poking out from the side. The boy walked out from the shadows, revealing something in his eyes that Naruto had never seen from him before.

"Sasuke... So... You do have it, then... But how, 'Cause I'm still standing."

"There is more than one way to activate the Makengyo Sharingan, Naruto." he replied, "You are a fool to believe otherwise." He withdrew the blade, rushing him. Naruto closed his eyes, opening them to reveal them changed, now yellow in hue. He grabbed the blade, bending it with his right hand. Sasuke dropped it, dodging a punch from Naruto's left. He disappeared, Naruto looking to see where he went. He looked up, watching a flurry of shurikan and kunai rain down on him. He walked straight through, knocking the blades away with his right hand. One managed to streak down his right arm, causing a small trickle of blood to stream down. The scar quickly healed itself, a combination of the Kyuubi and Sage chakra.

"You might want to change your strategy, Sasuke," he said, laughing, "It's gonna take a bit more than a few sharp edges to take me down this time!"

He appeared in front of him, the star-filled bloodshot red eyes staring him down. "I intend to." Naruto dodged a punch, then took a blow from behind. The back of his head throbbed for a bit, but he got back up and tried to hit Sasuke dead in the nose. He sped around to his back, but it gave Naruto time to make some distance between him and his opponent. Sasuke threw more shurikan at him, all hitting him this time. Naruto gasped in pain, sage mode now disabled. The hot blood streamed down his chest, but he got up, taking out the metal objects as he rose. Pulling out a kunai from his leg, he threw it as Sasuke and watched as it didn't even reach it's target's area. He ran at Sasuke, Rasengan in hand, screaming at the top of his lungs. He knocked him away, then sent a Chidori straight through his side. Naruto tried to get up, but couldn't move a muscle. Sasuke threw him around, blade directed towards his heart. As the blade approached, he heard a voice call out. Sasuke diverted his attention towards the figure.

"Naruto!" she shouted.

"SAKURA!!! NO!! GET AWAY!!!" Sasuke started up a lightning blade, and ran at Sakura. Naruto heard a shriek.

*****

Sakura watched as Naruto fell to the ground, blood coming out from his mouth. Nothing had happened the whole time, she sat there trying to figure out what was going on. Ever since Sasuke said I intend to, she heard nothing but Naruto's screams. He was clearly in pain, yet Sasuke hadn't moves an inch. _Genjutsu... Oh God.... Dear God, please don't tell me... _ She swallowed hard, _He has the Makengyo Sharingan! _

"SAKURA!!!" She heard Naruto scream, "NO!! GET AWAY!!!" He cried in horror, sobs the only thing she could hear.

Sakura got up from her spot, much to the objection of Shikamaru. She threw his arm off her, looking him dead in the eye, mouthing "_I know what I'm doing, please!" _Tears filled her eyes as she continued to hear the agony in Naruto's voice. Shikamaru nodded, letting her arm go, returning to the shadows, kunai in hand.

_A genjutsu, then... _Shikamaru thought, _ I see. Then she's going to stop the flow... If she's not __careful, she could get caught in it too.. Crap, Naruto's gonna have my head if this screws up! _He stealthily made his way through the trees to get closer to the battle without losing his position. _Sakura, you better really know what you're doing..._

*****

Naruto cried. It was all he could do. He closed his eyes, trying to make the image go away, but he couldn't shake it off. He'd failed the person that meant more than anything to him. Sakura was dying in front of his eyes, and the fact that all he could do was lay there hurt more than anything he ever dealt with. He heard her groaning in pain, she was hit by the blade dead in the heart, bleeding to death. Sasuke laughed.

"You know, Naruto, it's funny... This is exactly the way her teacher died . I should know, I killed her too."

_*****_

Sakura saw Naruto on the floor, crying. She had seen enough. She needed to take action, and it had to be now. Taking her Kunai from the holster above her pack, she ran out towards Naruto, avoiding eye-contact with Sasuke. She placed her hand on Naruto, channeling her chakra into his system. He coughed, blood staining the ground, light headed.

"Naruto!" She said, "Naruto, come on!", pulling him up. He got to his feet, shaking his head. Sakura continued to siphon the chakra in his system, a look of shock was on Naruto's face.

"Sakura!?? But you-" He looked her in the eye, understanding exactly what happened, both of their eyes were still wet. He frowned, head directed towards Sasuke, making five shadow clones, three jumping away, the other two stayed behind, standing directly behind Naruto. "Sasuke... I swear, and I mean it with my heart this time, you touch Sakura, I'll rip those bloody eyes out of their sockets so fast, you'll never know what hit you!"

Naruto's eyes went into a strange yellow-orange color, still frog-slits, but chakra began to flow around him. Sakura pulled her hand off as the chakra began to form around Naruto's body. She backed off, "Naruto, don't, calm down!"

It was already too late, he had combined his nature chakra with the Kyuubi chakra, creating a sort of balance between the two energies. He ran at Sasuke, a rasenshurikan in hand, throwing it in his direction. Sasuke jumped in the air, avoiding the blast, seeing the large hole in the ground he had just stood on. _Holy, _Sasuke thought, _That was NOT same attack I saw last night! What the hell is this? Could it be.... Kyuubi chakra? Oh crap..._

Naruto rushed at him, a tail starting to form. Sakura ran after him, pulling him back. "Naruto, Stop it, you're going to get someone hurt! Please, remember what happened last time!" Naruto stopped, thinking about what she had said. _Last time... I almost ripped the seal... Almost let him out... And the time before I hurt Sakura! _The aura of red began to disappear, the anger that was in his eyes faded completely.

"Sakura, I-" He turned around, trying to find where Sasuke went. "Crap, don't tell me we've lost him!" He saw no one, then fell to the ground once again. He pounded his fist on the ground, "Dang it... Dang it.... DAMN IT!" His head fell, he knew good and well what this meant. Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He shrugged it off, getting up."Not now, Sakura... Where's Shikamaru?"

"I don't know, he's supposed to be in the trees still...."

They heard a groan, watching as an injured Shikamaru limped out of the bushes. "Shikamaru, what happened?!?" Naruto asked.

"He got away, I tried to use a shadow possession on him, but he got the best of me. Those blasted eyes are going to be a problem..." He noticed the tears in Naruto's eyes, looking at Sakura, who was holding his hand.

"Sakura, Shikamaru.... We need to talk... Now." He looked to the side, "I think we've got a bigger situation, and you're not going to like this one bit."

*****

Sasuke was running like hell. He knew exactly what was going to happen to him now. He wore his glasses, as he no longer needed the Sharingan for the moment. He headed back to the sound, and prayed that he wouldn't have to deal with Madara. He needed to be ready, because his head was now on the line. _That jutsu.... What was that form? Whatever it was..... Next time, Naruto, I'm not going to rely on Genjutsu. Next time, you'll feel that pain for real.... _

*****


	26. Chapter 26

*****

Sakura looked at Naruto dead in the eye, shock on her face. "What?" She couldn't believe what Naruto had just said.

"Yeah, I'm not kidding." Naruto said, no sign of a smile. Sakura placed a hand on his right side. He let out a couple grunts as she started healing the wounds that he'd received from Sasuke's attack. Even though the Kyuubi allowed him to receive a bit of healing, ever since the battle with Pain, it took longer for him to recover from the larger wounds. "Right after he killed you in the genjutsu, he said that Lady Tsunade died the same way."

She remover her hand, Naruto feeling around where he had been harmed. "That wasn't a regular genjutsu, it has to be those eyes. Whatever that was, even Itachi couldn't do anything physically to me!"

"That is odd," Shikamaru replied, Sakura working on his leg. "the purpose of a genjutsu is to be a distraction, it's not supposed to be able to hurt an opponent."

Sakura looked at Naruto, "You're lucky I got there in time, a few more minutes, and you would have lost too much blood." Naruto looked down, "You need to be more careful, Naruto."

"I know...." He messed with a kunai in his hand, looking down towards the ground.

"You say you do, but it's not just that, you also messed with the seal again! Don't you get what that does?"

"I know, the seal's getting dangerously close to being useless..."

"How did you get out of that?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto smiled, "My dad, he's in there too." Sakura and Shikamaru gasped, "Yeah, it's weird, but he basically sealed himself with the Kyuubi as well. He stopped me from touching the seal, and I managed to get my cool back, but that was all that happened. I didn't quite get what was going on, it went so fast."

"So," Sakura replied, "that explains why you saw him in your dreams... Has he ever talked to you?"

"Once, but I couldn't really tell what his voice sounded like. It was weird, I knew what he was saying, but I couldn't audibly hear it..." He thought about the voice in his head... _No.... It couldn't be... Could it? _He shook off the thought, it wasn't the time to be worried about that. "Well, it's getting late, and we have to be there tomorrow. I'm gonna leave a few clones to keep an eye out fo-"

"No," interrupted Sakura, shaking her head, "You know how those things work. You'll never get enough sleet to not be exhausted. We'll work in shifts, I'll take the middle one, I don't mind the gap, I should get back to sleep alright."

Naruto nodded, "Okay, then I'll take the first shift," he looked towards Shikamaru, "That okay with you?" Shikamaru pushed himself up from the bed, walking a bit on his leg.

"Yeah," he said, pleased that his leg was back to normal, "not a problem. Well, if you'll excuse me, I need a drink." He headed for the door, "You two want anything?" Sakura shook her head, Naruto smiled, nodding as he reached into his pocket for a 100 ryu piece. He threw it to Shikamaru, who caught it as he headed out the door.

"Just get me a 2 liter of whatever cola you find," Naruto replied, "I'm gonna need it." The door closed, leaving Naruto and Sakura alone. He let out a breath, knowing what was coming.

"Naruto..." Sakura calmly said, leaning in a bit closer. She slapped Naruto across the face, "What were you thinking when you did that?!?" Her tone had become a bit more harsh. "I know that you were seeing things that were disturbing, but what if that were to happen for real?" He looked away, silent as the grave.

"I don't know... I..." He ran a hand through his hair, "I probably would do the same thing.. Sakura, losing you like that.... The nightmares coming true.... Don't you understand it?"

She nodded, realizing she probably shouldn't have touched on that subject. "I.. Naruto, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No," he replied, "It's fine. It's probably what I needed to hear..." He walked to his pack, pulling out a book, a notebook, a pencil, and his mp3 player.

"Well," Sakura said, grabbing her change of clothes for the evening, "I'll be right back, but I'm off to bed. Wake me up when it's my turn, I'll keep an eye on you." She kissed him on the cheek, then went into the bathroom. Naruto popped in the earbuds, turning up the music, keeping an eye on the room's front door. _I just hope... That nothing happens..._

*****

Naruto drank about half of the 2 liter now, the music on low so he could hear if anything was going on. He had read about a quarter of a way into the book, but it started to creep him out. It had lots of stuff about dreams and near-death experiences, it was starting to creep him out. He had, instead, a notebook and pencil in his hand. He'd started writing a story, something about a boy that people hated, but was destined to save that world from destruction, but he had hit a wall. He looked at Sakura, and began to draw her profile.

_Man..._He thought,_ I just don't know.... Don't get it... Sakura's right, what happens if she DOES die like that in front of me? Could I handle it? Would I let it get to me? _He erased a line, then began drawing her hair. _That's the problem, isn't it.... I've failed before I've even begun... Naruto, you're nothing more than pathetic. You know that better than anyone else.... God, why did Sakura have to tell me that now? I don't know.... Don't worry about it, maybe tonight... Tonight, it might all be cleared up..._ He blew away the eraser marks, revealing a rough sketch that was not too far off from the real thing. It needed a lot more work, but it was a start._ I hope... Dad.... I need your help...._

_*****_

Naruto lifted the pen from the piece of paper, looking at the cleaned drawing. Looking at the clock, he yawned, seeing that his three hours were up. He walked towards Sakura, yawning as he approached her. She was laying on her side, totally calm to Naruto's eyes. He was about to place his hand on her shoulder to wake her up when she started to roll a bit to the side. She let out a breath, grunting a bit. Naruto placed his hand on her, whispering her name into her ear. "Sakura, what's wrong?" She opened her eyes, revealing a sign of both fear and relief. She pushed herself up, breathing heavily.

"Nothing..." Sakura said, "Nothing at all."

Naruto shook his head, "Come on, Sakura, you think I'm deaf and blind? Something's up, what is it?"

She sighed, "I started to have the nightmare again. But you woke me up before it got worse, so..... Just don't worry about it right now, Naruto, I'll be okay. Get some rest, you look like you need it." He nodded reluctantly, already dressed for sleep, and lied down on the bed Sakura had just left. Sakura was right, he was exhausted. He closed his eyes, and within minutes, was asleep.

Sakura took the sofa, thinking to herself... _That dream.... Naruto... I'm scared... for you... _She took up her book that she'd brought with her, keeping an eye on Naruto in particular. Shikamaru was out like a log, so that was good.... Sakura saw the notebook Naruto had written in, seeing the drawing he'd worked on. _Did he draw this? It's... Of me... Does he really see me like this? _She saw he had started to write a story as well. She placed down the book, and opened Naruto's notebook. _I don't think he'd mind of I take a look at this....._

*****


	27. Chapter 27

*****

Sasuke wiped the sweat from his brow. He was exhausted, running all night. It had been six hours since he met with Naruto, and he knew good and well what was going to happen. Two black figures stood before him as he collapsed, taking a rest. One walked towards him, a massive sword strapped to his back. He laughed at Sasuke, kicking the right side of his chest. Sasuke coughed, a bit of blood landed on the ground.

"Sasuke, it's been a while." The figure laughed, "Last time I saw you, your little friend tried to kill me."

"Kisame," Sasuke squirmed on the ground, pushing himself up with what little strength he had.

"So," Kisame said, "I hear that the eight-tails killed the young one.... Pity, I would have liked to gut him myself."

Sasuke threw a slug at Kisame's face, missing as he threw him back. "Suigetsu was a fool, Sasuke. For that matter, all of them were, just like you. Do you really think you're competent enough to destroy Kohona, when you can't even capture the nine-tails?" He laughed again, Sasuke closed his eyes.

"Fool," Sasuke said, "you're not the one with the Makengyo Sharingan." He opened his eye, but didn't expect to see... A saturated blur of color and darkness...

*****

Naruto ran through the hall, unsure what was going on. He'd never been there before, it was the first time he'd ever seen the place. He approached a door, placing a hand on the knob. He opened the door, covering his eyes as light flooded his sight. He pulled back and found himself back in the leaf village, inside the Hokage's office. He looked at the figure sitting in the chair, and smiled.

*****

Sakura lowered the notebook for a few seconds, looking at Naruto, who was in a calm sleep. She smiled, relieved that he was getting rest. She returned to the story he'd been writing. His spelling was off here and there, but the core of the story was intriguing. She read on....

_The boy turned the corner, ignoring the blood on his cheek, heading towards the dumpster. He crawled into a cardboard box right next to it, trying to keep his breathing quiet. The mob looked around for him, unable to find him. One of them approached the dumpster, climbing on the box to see if he jumped into it. He felt the pain on his skull, crying silently to avoid being discovered and being subject to far more pain. _

_The man left, kicking the box, no sound coming from the boy. He sat there, curled up, trying to avoid discovery. He waited a few more minutes, then let out a small whimper from the pain. He covered his mouth, afraid that someone would come, he backed as far off as he could, holding his head as close as he could to his body. The box was lifted, revealing light, making the kid cry even more._

_"Hey," a soft voice asked him, "Are you alright?" The boy looked up, tears in his eyes, to see a young girl about 12 years in age. His age. He nodded, though she saw there was blood coming from his neck, back and head. "My name's Mizu, what's yours?"_

_"Kaze..." he sniffed, " Kaze Namizeku."_

Sakura started to cry. She realized what this came from. Kaze was Naruto... The child that was always running, scared, that never showed pain... Maybe the physical stuff was from when he was younger, but that wasn't what he was talking about... That was him today, the one he never showed anyone. He held it in, felt like he had to hide under his shell, make them think he was something he's not...

And Mizu? _Is Mizu... _Sakura thought, _Is she supposed to be... Me? _She flipped a couple pages and skimmed through the dialogue a bit. It _was _her. She held the book closer to her chest, looking at Naruto, tears starting to fall on her shoulder. _Naruto... I... Is this..? But I never... Wasn't it Sasuke that acknowledged you first? I... I used to ignore you... Used to blow you off... I never did anything like that for you...... Did I?_ She put down the book, walking towards Naruto's bed. She ran her hand through his hair, looking at the broken boy she'd come to love.

"Naruto," she whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek, "I'm sorry....." Sakura went back to the couch, looking at the clock. Her shift was almost up, ten minutes left. One thought continued to stick out in her mind. The story... What was Naruto trying to say? Sakura didn't know. _Maybe I shouldn't have read that without asking him... It's too late now, though... _She turned her thoughts to the clock, looking forward to the last three hours of sleep she'd get. That is, if she didn't have nightmares.... She shook off the thought, it wouldn't happen again. She'd dream of her and Naruto at the village... Together.

*****

Sasuke ran at Kisame, a chidori in hand. His vision was not working properly, but it didn't matter, the coat made him a sitting duck. He missed, getting knocked aside and falling on his hand. The hot lightning burned Sasuke, causing him to scream in pain. Kisame withdrew his sword, ready to stab the young man in the back.

"Kisame," Madara said, "That's enough. He's learned his lesson well..." He threw Sasuke a pair of glasses, exactly like the ones he wore before. "Take those, you'll need them... It seems that your perscription has changed..." He snickered off into the dark, Kisame following him. Sasuke pushed himself up, grunting as he reached for the lenses. They were stronger than the ones he wore before... _My vision... It's getting worse..... Damn it.... I need those eyes.... His eyes... Watch your back, Madara... _Sasuke gripped the burned area, he'd need to get it taken care of, but he still let out a chuckle as he looked in the direction the two figures left in.

*****

"Dad," Naruto said, "just who I was looking for..."

"Naruto," Minato replied, grin on his face as well, "so, you made it after all." Naruto heard the voice, and actually recognized it.

"So that voice was you! You're the one who was talking to me!"

Minato nodded, "Naruto, it only is going to get harder from here..... Look son, there were a few things I needed to talk to you about..."

"The Kyuubi..." Naruto looked to the side, "Right?" Minato nodded again.

"You need to be more careful, Naruto. The seal is weak, didn't you learn anything from last time?"

Naruto looked down, "I know... But Dad, Sakura was in trouble, and you know that I can't let anyone hurt her! Um.... Right?" Minato laughed.

"Yes son, I know how you feel about that girl. And I have to say, you've made quite a good choice. She reminds me a bit of your mother, actually."

Naruto smiled a bit, "So, how much do you see? 'Cause that's kinda... creepy, don't you think?"

Minato laughed, "Only what I want to see. You still know yourself better than me." Naruto had a shocked look on his face, that wasn't what he heard two nights ago...

"Uh.... Dad... Didn't you say that you knew me better than I knew myself?"

"No, I never said that... It's a dream, so you probably came up with that yourself... Unless..."

"Unless what?"Naruto asked, "Tell me!"

Minato shook his head, "It's nothing, don't worry about it. You'll figure it out later. Look Naruto, we don't have much time, there's a few things you have to learn. First off, it's about Sasuke, the one he's working for..."

"I think I know who you're talking about, he's got some kind of connection to Sasuke, right?"

"Yes, the man with the mask, Naruto... His name is Madara Uchiha, and he's the one that is behind this whole mess. You need to stop him, the only thing he wants is war..."Naruto nodded, he'd dealt with Pain, who wanted peace, but he knew there was more going on than that. Minato continued, "Look, I'm going to restore the seal, but you need to make sure not to toy with it, okay? I can't do this anymore after this. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded. "Understood."

"Good.... Good luck, Lord sixth!"

*****


	28. Chapter 28

Naruto opened his eyes, looking at the clock next to him. 6:55 AM, he beat the clock by a few minutes.

"Well, you're up early." Shikamaru said, "Six hours going to be enough?"

Naruto nodded, smiling. "More than enough." He looked at Sakura, "Has she..?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "Nothing, she's been that still all night." Naruto wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead, relieved that she had not been panicking all night. He walked towards the bathroom.

"Hey," he said, "Let her sleep in for a little longer, she hasn't been getting a lot of it." Shikamaru nodded his head and sat back, looking at Naruto's book.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru said as Naruto began to close the door behind him, "You mind if I read this?" Naruto began to freak out, worried he was talking about his notebook. He was relieved to see him holding the novel he was reading last night.

"Oh! Yeah, by all means!" He said, grinning, "It gets a little creepy, but it's really fast-paced, should get you on the edge of your seat." He closed the door, letting out a nearly inaudible sigh of relief. Shikamaru laid back and began to page through the book. _A hot, sticky evening in...._

*****

A lone Kohona ninja sat on the roof of a building, clothed in black. Sai grabbed a pair of binoculars, keeping an eye out for any possible threat to Naruto or the body of Lady Tsunade. Nothing so far... It was good, it gave him more time to work on his drawings.

Sakura was always interested in seeing what he had drawn, and Naruto had taken notice of that. Sai had shown him a few pointers, but Naruto wasn't all that bad to begin with. The last time he'd seen something of Naruto's, it had impressed him quite a bit. As a matter of fact, he found his stuff to be better than his! He wasn't sure why, as he knew that his proportions could be out of whack, and that he tended to smudge the graphite or ink around a bit. But it seemed to be... Just.... Better! He couldn't explain why he thought so, but such was the case. He'd have to ask Naruto what he did. Or better yet, ask Sakura which one was better, and why. Maybe he'd figure it out then....

*****

Naruto exited the bathroom, still drying his hair. He chose to wear the Sephiroth t-shirt and jeans he'd packed in the bag, as the other clothes were not only blood-stained, but getting a little ragged as well. _Hmm... I'm gonna need to stitch these up when I get home... Nothing new, I had to do the same with the robe in the first place. _Naruto approached Shikamaru, totally immersed in the book. He tapped him on the shoulder.

"Anything happen?"Naruto asked. Shikamaru shook his head,

"Nothing. Unless you count me reading this book. It's interesting. Does it get better?"

"Heh, much." Naruto smiled, turning his attention to Sakura. She was as calm and still as before, then started to move around a bit. Naruto noticed her eyes were wet, and that she was starting to curl up a little bit. Sakura began to sob, her breathing starting to become irregular.

Naruto grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her."Sakura," Naruto said, scared as he uttered the name, "Sakura! Sakura, snap out of it, please!" She opened her eyes, breathing heavily.

She gasped for breath, "Naruto-!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto him. Naruto was caught off guard, reluctantly placing his arms around her.

"Sakura..." He said, holding her head to his chest. He ran his hand through her hair, feeling the hot tears on his shoulder. "Shh.... It's okay.... It's okay..." She continued to cry. "What happened?"

Sakura sniffed, "I... I don't know, it all happened so fast... I saw it all happen, Lady Tsunade, the village... Then... You, Naruto..." She tightened her grip, holding on to him. Shikamaru quietly left the room, only waving a finger to let Naruto know he was leaving.

"Sakura..." Naruto said, gently running his arm along her back, "It's okay... It's just a dream, it'll be fine."

"I hope so... I really do, but.... " She sobbed again, Naruto trying his best to comfort her. "I'm scared for you, Naruto. I've never been this scared in my life."

"I told you, Sakura, nothing's going to happen." Naruto lifted her face, looking her in the eye "Trust me, I'll be okay." He kissed her on the forehead, letting go of her a few moments later. "Alright... We need to get going."

Sakura nodded, wiping the tears from her face. "I'll meet you outside in a few minutes..." She walked towards the bathroom, carrying her clothes in. "And Naruto... Thank you. For everything."

He smiled, "Hey, nothing you haven't done for me. I'll see you in a bit."

*****

Kakashi and Iruka gathered around the phone on the table. It was just like the last time, silent as the grave, waiting for the call from Naruto. Iruka began to jitter his fingers on the table, his foot's muscles beginning to spaz out.

"It's about time for them to get there." Iruka said, "I don't know Kakashi, what if Sasuke really did kill Naruto?"

Kakashi laughed, "You know, there once was a time where we were saying this exact same thing. If I recall correctly, you were the one putting money on Naruto."

Iruka smirked, "Heh, good point. But that was before Sasuke learned things from Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. This time, I'm just not sure."

"No faith in the Hokage, eh Iruka?" a voice said. He turned his head to see none other than Yamato. "I'm shocked, you were always the one to be praising Lord Naruto."

"Yamato," Kakashi said, "how did that little expedition go?"

"The one about Kabuto? Yes, it went well enough. He wants both Akatsuki and Kohona's heads on silver platters. Nothing we didn't already know about."

Iruka pounded on the table. "I knew it!" He looked at Kakashi, "Why the hell did you trust that scuzzbag?"

"It wasn't my call or decision." Kakashi said, "I simply put my trust in the Hokages."

"A lot of good it did them." Iruka rebutted, reclining in the chair. His gaze was solely fixed on the telephone, anticipating the call.

"Any word from Naruto or Sai?" Yamato asked. The other two Jonin shook their heads. "I see...." The room went quiet for a few moments. A ring broke the silence, Iruka darting to the handset, smacking the conference button.

"Hello?" said Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei, that you?" The voice said on the other line.

"Naruto! And it's not sensei anymore, Lord sixth." Iruka replied ecstatically, "I should be calling you that!"

"Whatever, you're still my teacher, Iruka-sensei. Hey, who else is over there?"

"Just me and Kakashi, Lord sixth." Yamato replied.

"Master Yamato, there's no need for the formalities."

"Then you're going to have to drop the master, lord sixth."

Naruto sighed, "Fine. Yamato. There, I dropped it. It's a little... Odd, I don't like the ring of it as much."

"Now you know how I feel to referring to the Hokage on a first name basis." He replied, "It's completely against whatever training I received." He took a drink of water from a bottle clipped onto his belt. "How are the others?"

"We just met up with Sai. Shikamaru's holding up just fine... It's Sakura I'm worried about. She's having nightmares. Bad ones."

"How are yours going, Naruto...?" Kakashi asked, tone more serious than before. It was the first time he'd spoken over the phone with him.

There was a brief silence. "I'm not sure. They might be gone. They might not."

"Did anything happen that we need to be aware of?"

Another pause. "Just one......" Naruto replied. "The kyuubi... When I fought Sasuke again... Wait, did I-"

Iruka replied, "We already knew about it, we tried our best to get a hold of you, but it was too late. What happened?"

"I got angry. In Sage Mode. I..... Combined the chakras, and..... Nothing happened this time. But you need to also worry about this; Sasuke has the Makengyo."

There was dead silence. "I see." Kakashi said. "So... That first dream... Did-"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei, it was closer this time.... I might still need to use that Jutsu..."

"Jutsu- What Jutsu?!?" Iruka cried out, He looked at Yamato and Kakashi. "What on earth did you teach him this time? And which one of you did it?"

"It was me," Kakashi said, "and it was the one that saved the Kazekage's life."

Shock permeated Iruka's face, "Yamato, did you-" He nodded.

"Kakashi told me already." Yamato replied, "Sorry we left you out of the loop, but we decided that the less people that knew, the better." Iruka sighed, understanding of their reasons.

"Naruto," Kakashi said, "Now more than ever, remember what I told you. Do NOT use that jutsu! It has to be the only thing you can do, understand?"

Naruto grunted an affirmative, " I do. We'll talk more later. In the mean time, keep an eye out for Kabuto and Akatsuki. I'm not worried about Sasuke at this point; he's saving you all for later..."

*****

Sasuke Uchiha stood in an empty field, pleased with the location he'd chosen to make his final battlefield. He saw the greenery, looking in disgust at it. The last thing he needed was for Naruto to enter Sage mode. He made three handsigns, and watched as the entire mass of land turned into pure white. There was no life, only white powder on the ground. _Good, _he thought, coughing up a bit of blood. It had taken a bit more energy than he thought. He wiped it off of his mouth, looking in the distance. He didn't have a lot of time; just a couple days. He laid down for a little bit, he'd have to start building the walls.

_Now... How do I get him over here... Hmm.............. _He thought long and hard as he lulled in the desolate field. _Simple, you idiot, drag him down here yourself. Him and Sakura, I want them both to suffer... To feel the same thing I did all those years ago... To have it all.... Taken away. _Sasuke got up, and began to make a few more handsigns... And a wall rose from the ash.


	29. Chapter 29

*****

Naruto Uzumaki sat down on the couch, sitting back as the air-conditioning unit blasted. It was a hot day in the gathering city, and the run had been far from easy. Sakura sat next to him, Sai on the hotel room's chair, and Shikamaru on the bed, half paying attention to the others, the rest on the TV screen.

"So..." Sai said, "It's some kind of vendetta..."

"Yeah, so it would seem..." Naruto replied, hands folded, covering his face. Sakura looked towards him, noting the similarity to the way Sasuke used to brood. He shook his head, "It's still so hard to believe though... There's gotta be some good in him still.. There's gotta be..." Sakura placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"It's okay Naruto," Sakura said, "I'm sure there is.." a little doubt poked into her tone. Naruto picked up on it, but stayed silent. He took his mind off the thought, remembering why they were even there. The summit...

There was a knock at the door, causing Naruto to approach the door. He opened it, smiling as he saw the visitor's face.

"Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed, clearly pleased to see his friend, "What's up?" He replied with a smirk, shaking his head.

"You and your attitude never cease to amaze me..." he walked through the door, "Sakura, Shikamaru, good to see you two." He turned his attention to Sai. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met before, you are?"

"My codename is Sai, Lord Kazekage." he replied.

"Ah, ANBU... Interesting..." he turned around, looking at Naruto's clothing. "You want to explain the casual attire?"

Naruto chuckled, "Heh, long story short, I got into a bit of a scrap. I don't think the other kages would appreciate me showing up in rags, do you?"

Gaara chuckled a bit, "Not particularly, no." He pointed at the shirt, "Though a few of the older ones are going to balk at that."

"Well," he replied, "they can take it up with me, it's the only other shirt I packed." Shikamaru got up, allowing room for Sai, whom gave Gaara the chair.

Sakura giggled a bit, "You and your obsessions..." playfully elbowing him in the side.

Gaara looked Naruto in the eye, reading into his emotions. "Naruto, that fight... It was Sasuke, wasn't it...?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah... Again.... And I.. Used the Kyuubi..." He lowered his head.

Gaara sighed, "Anger, right? The Shikaku did the same thing... I fueled it with anger... But you weren't trying, were you, Naruto?"

"No, I wasn't."

"Then let it go. You got mad, there's nothing you could have done about that...." He looked at Sakura, noticing her head also lowered. "Were you trying to protect her?"

"Yeah." Naruto responded.

"More reason to let it go." Gaara replied, "You were protecting that which was important to you. I would call that righteous indignation."

"Righteous Indig-what?" Naruto asked, totally confused by the term.

"He means that you're justified, Naruto." Sakura replied, still looking down. _Maybe Gaara's right... But it doesn't change the fact that he was messing with the seal... And it was my fault..._

Gaara noticed the look from Sakura, able to tell that she was holding herself responsible. "Sakura, don't blame yourself for any of this. It isn't your fault at all. In fact,there's nothing to be ashamed of. Using the Fox's power might be dangerous, but sometimes we have to make rash decisions to protect those we love."

"When did you become the expert?" Shikamaru asked, smirking at the remark.

"Frankly, you probably know more about the topic than I do." Gaara retorted.

"I'd beg to differ, Kazekage," Shikamaru said, turning his attention back to the screen, "You seem to have the concept dead on."

Naruto shook his head, "But Gaara, I messed with the seal! You know mine's different!"

"Different..." he said, "Yet not so different that I can't understand. I had a deeper connection to my beast, Naruto. You know that. The Kyuubi doesn't interact with you anywhere near as much as Shikaku and I did." Naruto nodded. While Naruto had the most vile creature that was ever conceived sealed inside of him, he was totally separated from it, retaining his own personality from being affected. This was the grace that his fathers seal had spared him.

"Now.." Gaara continued, "The summit." Naruto and the others paid closer attention. "First off, each nation may send three people to the meeting itself. Their Kage, and two bodyguards. No one else is allowed inside. The key discussion is about, as you know, Akatsuki and what we are supposed to do. Now, this will not only directly affect you... It will also affect-"

"Sasuke." Naruto finished the sentence. "I know..." Sakura looked Naruto in the eye, placing her arm around him. "I'm willing to do whatever I have to..."

"Good, because I'm not sure what's going to happen concerning him. I'll back you up, Naruto, but I can tell you now; most of the other leaders aren't going to be very sympathetic. He's both Akatsuki, and is the one that killed the Mizukage's brother."

Naruto nodded. "When does the summit officially start?"

"Tomorrow.... Naruto, did you check in already? This is basic information..."

"Officially, no..." Naruto slapped his head, "I knew I forgot something!" He turned towards Sakura and Shikamaru, "Why didn't you two tell me?"

"Sorry Naruto," Sakura replied, "Slipped my..." She yawned, "Excuse me. It slipped my mind."

"Same here," Shikamaru answered.

Gaara smirked, _Hmm.. _"Naruto, how many hours of sleep have you been getting since becoming Hokage?"

"About five on a normal night, why?"

He sighed, "That explains it all. Sakura, Shikamaru, you two got about the same amount, correct?" They both nodded an affirmative.

Sakura sighed, "Every time, isn't it..."

"You're running out of energy, all of you. Try to take the time to get some rest tonight, okay? It's not like anyone could come in here. I'll have a few sound nin pick up the slack for your security. Nothing the Hidden Leaf hadn't done for us before. Consider it returning the favors you've done over the years." He got up from the chair, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a couple of other matters to attend to. I'm sure you'll all want to check in." He exited the room, leaving the Kohona ninja by themselves again.

"Naruto," Shikamaru said, "I'll go with Sai to get us checked in." Sai nodded, leaving the room with him.

Naruto and Sakura were alone, sitting on the couch, minds wandering in the same direction. Both of their heads were hung, hands next to each other. Sakura began to cry. He grabbed her hand, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Naruto..." she said, "I've been a useless wreck lately..." He shook his head, lifting her face.

"Don't say that, Sakura..." he replied, "Don't say that... It's not your fault, if it's anyone's, it's mine... If anyone has been a worthless wreck, it's me." She began to open her mouth when Naruto placed a finger on his mouth, shaking his head. He got up, golding out his hand, "Hey, I'm feeling kinda hungry... You want to go get something to eat?"

A small smile began to form on the girl's face, "Yeah..." Sakura said as she took Naruto's hand, wiping the tears from her face, "I would."

*****

"So, Sasuke..." Madara voiced, "This is what you've been wasting your time on..." He looked at the completed room, "Impressive."

It was quiet and still, white consuming the entire area. There were six bright lights in the room, without which the place would be darker than a cloudy, starless night. A dark red stain in the center of the room had begun to fade. It's owner, the Uchiha boy, had shed plenty to kill the life in the area. There was nothing that lived around for the five acres that made up the complex.

"You try to make something like this," Sasuke said, "If you can stand, then you have to have one hell of a chakra pool."

"Then be thankful for the blood that runs through your veins." Madara firmly grasped Sasuke's shoulder, "Very few can match that power. Your clan would be proud, Sasuke."

He nodded, grunting an affirmative as he reached for his sword, fixing his glasses. "It won't be much longer... Just a couple more days, and all will be take care of..."

"I certainly hope so, for your sake." Madara disappeared as he always did, leaving Sasuke alone once more. He walked towards the entrance, opening it with his chakra. He clutched his right arm, feeling what was happening to his system. _Damn... This blasted jutsu... But it will be worth it... I must... Avenge them... Just two more days, my friends, just two more days...._

*****

A kunai flew into the Hokage office, missing Kakashi Hatake's head by only a split second. "He's not here, you know." He said, a mischievous smile visible behind the mask. "If you really want to kill Naruto, then you'd want to be at the summit, Kabuto."

Kabuto laughed as he entered the window. "I know that. I just thought I'd pop in to see what you were up to, that's all." He chuckled under his breath, "You know, rumor has it that there's a deathtrap set up for him."

"Since when is there not a trap set for the Hokage?" Kakashi retorted, "He's both Hokage and the last Jingchuriki, it's part of the job."

"Well then, Hatake..." Kabuto muttered, "It seems my uses for you all have run out. Naruto can kill Sasuke if he wants... But that doesn't mean I have to wait to strike against you."

Kakashi laughed. "Good luck getting out of here," he said, "because you've just fallen for mine."

"WHA-!?!"

Kakashi sat back as Kabuto rolled on the ground, stunned by the lightning chakra from the floor. "You know, Kabuto, I haven't been sitting around doing nothing this whole time, you should know better than that." Iruka entered the room with a few guards.

"Grab him, and throw him into the high security cell. He might have some company soon, though, so get double the guard on there." Iruka said.

"What do you mean, company, Iruka?" Kakashi asked.

"I was about to tell you that until our friend here made his entrance. Rumor has it Sasuke was spotted heading towards the summit area. I already alerted Naruto, the kages will discuss how to deal with it. "

Kakashi sighed. "Well then... Looks like he'll have the cell to himself, then."

"Huh?"

"In case you didn't hear," Kakashi said, "Sasuke was the one who killed the Mizukage's brother... And he has seniority over all the others. Chances are, Sasuke's a dead man."

"How is Naruto taking it?" Iruka asked.

"Not well. Sai's been filling me in on his and Sakura's status. They haven't been doing well, nor getting enough sleep. I spoke with Gaara as well. From the sounds of it, this isn't going to turn out well."

"All we can do is hope...."

"Unfortunately, Iruka," Kakashi uttered, "I don't even think we can do that... As much faith as I have in Naruto as a leader, I'm just not sure he can follow through with this."

The two were silent, both thinking about their former pupil. "Well then, we just hope that Sasuke gives up or Sakura steps up for Naruto."

"You think she can do it?"

"I _know_ she can do it, Kakashi.... I just hope she knows that too."

*****


	30. Chapter 30

*****

Naruto fidgeted his fingers, looking around at the other leaders. The conference was due to begin in a minute or two, and the only one absent was the Mizukage. Naruto took a seat next to Gaara, Shikamaru and Sakura taking their posts right next to him. Sakura overheard one of the security task force walking around.

"Yeah, that girl with the Hokage?" One of the two said.

"Mmhmm," he replied. "They're pretty close. Too close, I think." Sakura began to frown, turning towards them.

"Rumor has it there's a lot going on between them. Makes me wonder if..." Sakura couldn't hear the rest of it. And frankly, she didn't want to.

Sakura glared at them, getting up from her chair, "Excuse me, Lord Hokage." Naruto nodded. He hated for them to call him that, but it was agreed that formalities should probably be obeyed when dealing with foreign nations, or even the fire nation.

"Excuse me, but what makes you think you can go around saying things about people behind their back?" she said, keeping calm and her voice just audible enough to make herself known to the individuals.

"Uh, nothing, ma'am." one said, "Nothing at all." The other nodded in agreement with his co-worker.

"That wasn't what I was hearing. Whatever is going on in the Hokage's personal life is no one's business. And I really don't appreciate your comments about us." She cracked her knuckles, sending a small chill up the two security nins' spines. "Now, to set the record straight. Yes, there are things going on between Naruto and I, but it has nothing to do with anything you could have possibly been thinking of. It has nothing to do with him being Hokage, so back off." The two nodded, walking away silently.

_God, I didn't think of that... Maybe I shouldn't have come to this... _Sakura shook her head, _Doesn't matter, it just comes with the territory. Naruto's Hokage now, I always knew something like this would happen eventually. _She returned to her seat, watching as the Raikage began to make his entrance.

"Sakura, what-" Naruto began to say.

"Nothing, just setting the record straight." She replied. Naruto fully understood by the look on her face. She was far from happy about the comments, and she wasn't hiding that at all.

"Don't worry about it," he said, "What they think doesn't matter at all." Smiling he turned his attention back to the Mizukage, whom had taken his seat. "You going to be okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said, "Just keep focused, okay?"

"Heh," he said, "This is the only thing I've been thinking of all day."

The kages all rose, bowing, then taking theirs seats once more. The Raikage spoke.

"Thank you all for attending on such short notice. We have the privileged of introducing you all to our young Kages' first summit. I'm sure you've all met Gaara of the sand nation by now." He motioned towards Gaara, who simply nodded. "And I'd like to introduce you to the new Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki." He motioned towards Naruto, "You've made yourself quite the reputation, young man. Already Hokage at 16, defeated the founder of Akatsuki, and the son of the fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. I have to say, I'm quite impressed."

"Thank you, Lord Raikage," Naruto said.

"But you're also the nine-tailed fox's Jingchuriki, are you not?" the Mizukage inquired.

"I am." He replied, "But the seal is far stronger than you'd expect."

"Do not worry Lord Hokage, I'm not afraid of you. My brother was the one who had the eight-tailed beast, so I know that you are fully sane."

_Well that's nice to know,_ Naruto thought, _I have a shred of dignity. Nice._

"Moving on," The Raikage spoke, "We need to discuss about a far more pressing matter. Akatsuki and Team Hawk. They are indeed one and the same, though Hawk was nearly completely eradicated by Killer Bee. However, Sasuke Uchiha got away and has joined the ranks of Akatsuki. I propose that the nations all gather together..." he paused, "For the sake of the last beast not falling into their hands, that we destroy the entire organization... And kill those that remain."

Naruto's heart sunk. The Mizukage spoke, "I am in favor of the Raikage's proposal." Naruto remained silent. Gaara rose up.

"I am partially in favor. However, there is one question I have. It regards Sasuke Uchiha. He is the last of his clan, is it-"

"Yes, he too will suffer the same fate." He turned towards Naruto, seeing him avoiding eye contact, "I understand you had close ties with the Uchiha boy?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes, we were on the same team. He was my best friend."

"But you realize that he wants you dead, right?" The Raikage said.

"More than that, he's already tried. Twice." Naruto gripped his hands.

"Twice? And you didn't kill him?"

"No." he replied.

The Raikage nodded. "I see... Why?"

There was a long pause. Naruto looked at Sakura, who gave him the nod. He turned back towards the panel of leaders. "Because he's my brother. I can't kill him.... I just can't!" He hit his desk, "He's come after me twice, intends to kill my village, and has placed my closest friend in jeopardy, but I can't do anything about it. I want to hate him, and yet I can't!" He breathed heavily, looking around at the shocked faces in the room. _Oh crap..... _he thought.

He cleared his throat. "Forgive me... I...." he shook his head. "I can't vote on this. At all. The leaf village will assist the will of the villages." He shot a look at Gaara, "Vote your conscience, Gaara, whatever that may be." He bowed, "I'll be leaving now... Thank you all." He left the room with his head lowered to the ground. _I'm not ready for any of this.... Not now... Someone.... Help me, please...._

*****

It was late in the evening, and there was a knock at Naruto's door. He was alone, Sakura and him hadn't spoken since he left. He told her to give him some space, and he was regretting it. He opened the door to see Gaara.

"What's the verdict?" He asked. Gaara shook his head.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I tried. My conscience spoke clearly, but there was nothing that could be done." Naruto sat on the couch, a tear forming in his eye.

"Dang it... Dang it..." he smacked himself in the face. "SHOOT!" He shook his head, unable to think.

Gaara said, "I'll have to be going now, I'll be sending nin after Akatsuki. You're in charge of Sasuke, I was able to get you that much." Naruto nodded, partially glad, but partially hurt that it would be him that determined Sasuke's fate.

"Thanks Gaara, you've been a good friend... Real quick, have you seen Sakura?"

"Last I checked she was headed for her room. You haven't seen her?"

"No, I haven't... Let me break the news to her, it'll probably be better for her to hear it from me..."

*****

Sakura was laying on her bed, trying to sort out the day. She heard about the decision, and was scared for Naruto. She knew that it would be the hardest thing for him. She heard a knock at the door, praying it was him. She wanted to be there to help him through the pain, to comfort him. She hated that he wouldn't let her help him, but she knew it was probably for the best.

She opened the door, shocked, only able to utter one thing. "Sa-!".

A hand covered her mouth, and seconds later, her world went black.

*****

Naruto walked up to Sakura's room, the door flung open, window broken. He looked at the floor, pink hair was on the floor, a sign of a struggle. There were things flung all around the room, her bags sprawled on the floor.

_No.... Oh God.... No...! SAKURA!!!!! _

There was a note left on a pillow. He reached for it, reading it with his soaked eyes, wiping them dry.

_**You're next, Uzumaki.**_

He turned around, seeing a black blur. He only had a moment, and couldn't tell what hit him, but he knew good and well who it was. He said nothing when he passed out, which pleased Sasuke Uchiha.

"Good to see you again, Naruto." He chuckled. "Pleasant dreams... And don't worry, the ride won't be long. Not long at all..." He disappeared in a flash, no sign on him or the blond boy.


	31. Chapter 31

A figure approached Naruto, the darkness keeping his figure obscure. Naruto laid down flat, hovering above the abyss, the unfamiliar man whispering into his ear.

_It's time... Make your choice... Son._

_Dad..._ He thought. Naruto's eyes closed... And there was nothing.

*****

Naruto opened his eyes, only able to see black, nothing more. The sound of footsteps filled the room, the only other sound the ringing of his ears. He tired to move, but found himself tied to a stake of some sort, block like in structure. He couldn't move anything but his head. He closed his eyes, trying to gather nature energy...

"Save your strength," said the voice of Sasuke Uchiha, "You aren't going to find any in here." Flicking a switch, Naruto saw the bright white light fill the small section of the room, black filling the rest of it. He looked around, realizing he was dead on. Naruto tried to speak, but could barely move his jaw. He moved his arms, totally restricted, the only sounds from him were unintelligible, muffled grunts. Sasuke approached Naruto, removing the item wrapped around his mouth. The black cloth glinted into Sasuke's eyes as he removed it.

Naruto coughed, "Sasuke! Where is she!?! What did you do to-" He had the headband stuffed into his mouth.

"Come on Naruto, you've been wanting to talk, so let's talk." Sasuke said, "But we take turns, got it?" Naruto spat out the headband, growling. "Good." He coolly responded. "Now, calmly give me your list of complaints, and I MIGHT answer them if I feel like it."

Naruto sighed, looking Sasuke dead in the eye. There was a brief pause as Naruto's glare knifed into Sasuke's mind. "Why?" he asked. "Why are you doing this to us? None of us did any of this to you. NONE of us want to hurt you, Sasuke!"

"Liar. I know you better than that." Sasuke replied. "Three seconds ago you would have ripped my head off without giving a second thought."

_Darn right I would have, but.... _Naruto thought._ I.... I could never live with myself if I did!_ He shook his head, "Don't you get it, Sasuke, I don't -"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Sasuke screamed, backhanding Naruto. A slight crack was audible as Naruto took the blow. "You hate me, I know that , and so do you."

"Listen to reason, Sasuke! God knows I don't hate-" Sasuke threw his fist into his jawbone, blood pouring down Naruto's mouth. A small whimper could be heard in the background.

"I'm finished with this." Sasuke fired in Naruto's direction. "Next question."

"Sakura." Naruto asked. "Where did you take her?" Sasuke walked towards the dark, withdrawing his sword. The steel glinted in the light, becoming bloodstained red as Sasuke dragged his left index finger along it's edge. He placed the finger in his mouth, tending to his self-inflicted wound.

He snapped his fingers, and the room began to fill with bright white lights, revealing a massive room, void of any life, giving off a sickly pale white. Right over the blade was a young 16 year old girl, her pink hair tussled, blood both wet and dried on her cheeks. Her eyes were full of hot tears, but looked as if they'd been weeping for hours before. Her shirt had a tear down the right side, revealing a long cut on her stomach. Sasuke removed the red headband covering her mouth. "Naruto..." She uttered, the fear and crying in her voice keeping it just above a whisper.

"She put up quite the fight, didn't she?" Sasuke said, "I ended up having to drug her to restrain her chakra system after the first 30 minutes. Too bad that all her effort will be for naught." He pulled the blade closer in towards Sakura's throat. Naruto began to weep, losing his breath, frantically trying to break free of the chains. He closed his eyes, and tried to get energy from outside of the room.

"Don't even bother trying, Naruto, there's no life for miles in and out of here. The only strength you have is that of your own." Sasuke lowered the blade, snapping his fingers to retreat back into the dark. Naruto sat across from Sakura, both chained to the pylons Sasuke had in the middle of the room.

Silence filled the room for a few minutes before Sakura broke the silence. "Naruto, I.. I'm so-"

"No," Naruto interrupted, "Don't. It isn't your fault. If it's anyone's, it's mine..." He wiped a bit of blood on his shoulder, taking a bit of time to breathe. "I should never have let my guard down. I should have known this was going to happen."

"But you didn't," she replied, "There's no way you could have known." She looked him in the eye, wishing she could be there, comforting him. It was obvious to her that he wasn't just hurting physically; this was his ultimate nightmare. "Besides... I was the one that had you promise."

"Sakura," Naruto said, shaking his head, eyes totally focused on hers. "It was my choice to make. I was going to do it anyway. Don't blame yourself for this. You didn't do anything wrong. Not one thing." He looked down, sighing. _I'm the one that got her into this mess..._ He thought,_ I know she's saying it's not my fault, but I know it is! It's because I... Because I love her, Sasuke's going after her first! He knows that if anything ever happened to her... _Naruto gulped,tasting blood as his mouth dried. "Sakura.... I need to ask you something... I'll regret never saying this, and if we get out of here, it's not gonna matter..." He shook his head. _What the heck am I thinking? This is gonna sound horrible! But.. I need to know. I have to ask her; there may never be another chance!_

Sakura nodded, still fixated on Naruto's soft blue eyes. "This is the dumbest question I've ever asked," Naruto chuckled, "I haven't even turned 17 and I'm thinking that far ahead... Heck, I don't even know WHY I care about this..." He took a pause. "Sakura... If we ever have the chance... And if things work out in a few years..."

Sakura smiled, "Go ahead, say it already."

He looked at her emerald green eyes, guessing she already had a clue what was coming next. "Sakura, would you have married me?"

Sakura closed her eyes, taking a moment for herself. "Naruto... I..." _I never gave it a thought... Would I? I mean, I know I love him, but I never thought I'd have to worry about this for a long time... _She reopened her eyes, and studied Naruto's eyes, noticing how he was looking at her. It was surreal to her, something special that she'd only ever seen from him. _He said that if we get out of here, it won't matter... But whatever I say will matter to me. I don't want to tell him something I don't mean. He deserves better than that..... _A few more seconds passed, then Sakura broke the silence. "Naruto... I..." She took a breath. "Yes. Naruto, if we had the chance, I would marry you without giving a second thought. I love you, Naruto.. And I know you love me for who I am, that I just have to be me."

He smiled, a tear trailed down his cheek. He didn't expect her to give him such a straight answer, let alone the last part of the statement. They sat for another minute, silence filling the room.

"Touching." A voice said, "I hoped Sakura would wake up one of these days..." Sasuke stepped out of the darkness. He still had the sword with him, but this time, the blade shimmered a sickly green along with the blood Sasuke had already placed on it. "It wouldn't have made any difference, but now I know for sure I picked the right one. You ready to lose it all, Naruto?" He returned the blade to Sakura's throat, Naruto now pulling on the chains.

"Naruto," Sakura said, "Don't, save your strength, it's okay..." She began to cry, "It'll be okay..." She looked away from Naruto, unable to lie to him anymore. She knew it wasn't going to be okay, that this was only going to make things worse. She whispered under her breath "I'm sorry..."

Naruto ignored Sakura's request, pulling harder on the chains to the point that his wrists were now bleeding. He swallowed the pain, trying to focus on her. He started to pour chakra into the chains. Sakura felt the warm blood touch her throat, a total contrast to the cold steel that it covered. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the finishing blow. The blade left her neck, and she heard a cry of pain from Naruto. She opened her eyes to see him shove Sasuke a few hundred feet away from them, removing something from his pouch.

Slicing through the ropes that Sasuke used to restrain her, he pulled her up and handed her a kunai, clutching her other hand. "Keep close." he said, watching as Sasuke got up unphased.

Sasuke smiled. "Heh, I hoped this would happen, that would have been too easy... Let's dance, Uzumaki."

He rushed at Naruto and Sakura head on, aiming for their heads, but instead hitting a pair of Kunai. Naruto pushed back, swiping his kunai at his chest, but only grazed the air. He looked around, seeing a sword sticking out of the ground right next to an ax. He threw up two brief symbols with one hand "Sakura, grab on to my hand, hard!" He threw up the third, and disappeared, laving an ax in his stead. Sakura dropped the kunai and gripped the massive weapon with both of her hands. She didn't know much, but Tsunade taught her a thing or two to help her use it.

Naruto ran for the sword, feeling a sudden cut on his wrist as he grasped it, but found no one around to have caused it. He turned, holding the broad part of it flat on his palm, suddenly pushing against Sasuke's katana. Sasuke chuckled, disappearing before his eyes, reappearing right behind Sakura. She shrieked in pain as he cut through her back, leaving a thin trail of blood.

"Sakura!" shouted Naruto as he ran towards her area. A sudden pain shot through his right side, the cold steel of Sasuke's katana inflicted the blow.

"You two are going to have to do better than that!" Sasuke said, laughing. The blade was remove and it's wielder disappeared again. Sasuke appeared in front of Naruto, slicing towards his abdomen, barely missing. Naruto knocked the katana to the right and took a few steps back. He swiped towards Sasuke's dominant arm, meeting the katana once more. He blocked a blow towards his feet, then took a shot at his left arm. It left a tiny scrape, but Sasuke parried in time, then disappeared. Naruto finished his sprint, Sakura also headed in his direction. They stood back to back.

"Sakura, how long do you have until the drugs wear off?" He asked her, blade up, totally alert.

"I don't know, but not anytime soon!" She looked around, trying to see where Sasuke had gone. She felt that she was starting to get a little chakra control back, but not enough to do anything yet. They stood there for five minutes, trying to see if he was around. There was nothing. Naruto dropped his sword, turning around to face Sakura.

_He's in here somewhere.... _"Sakura, do you have a flower or something on you, a medical herb?"

She nodded her head, handing him a leaf. He absorbed the natural energy from it, briefly entering Sage Mode to check the surroundings. Sasuke wasn't around inside, not immediately outside. If he was close by, he was just out of range. The leaf almost had totally wilted when Naruto opened his eyes, starting to revert to normal.

"He's here!" He exclaimed as he ran towards his sword. Sakura followed him, ax still in her hand. Sasuke appeared in front of her, slicing towards her chest. She blocked with the flat side of the axe, pushing against him, taking a big swing towards his shoulder. She hit him, causing him to scream in pain. Naruto began to pick up his sword when she saw Sasuke go in for a stab to his chest.

Naruto grabbed the sword, rising to see Sasuke charging towards him too fast for him to react. He closed his eyes, ready to receive the blow. He heard a shriek, and opened his eyes. His eyes had already begun to tear up, and he opened them to see Sasuke remove his Katana from Sakura's chest. She fell, into Naruto's arms, blood running down her mouth.

She smiled, looking Naruto in the eye, her sight already fading from the poison. "Good bye, Naruto." She closed her eyes and went limp.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, straight-faced. "Now, tell me.... Do you understand?"

*****

**AN: Yeah, this chapter took a while, apologies to anyone that was waiting for it, my summer has been busy to say the least, and I really didn't want to mess up this fight. Don't worry, it shouldn't take that long again :).**


	32. Chapter 32

*****

"Do you understand?" The words echoed in Naruto's mind as he held Sakura's body in his arms. Sasuke had lost everything when he was a kid; Kohona had taken it all away from him. Now, here he was, Hokage, Kohona's leader, and Sasuke had taken away the girl he loved. It wasn't so much a question as it was a declaration. Naruto now understood what it meant to be alone after being surrounded by people he cared about, by a family. Jiraiya was dead, Tsunade as well. The person he would have once called brother stood before him... And was the one that took the last piece of the puzzle away. He took Sakura's life away from her, the last thing he had.

"You took my family, Naruto." Sasuke said, "You and the rest of the ninja world. All I had was destroyed because of people like you!"

"And you expect revenge to fix all of this!?!" Naruto exclaimed, voice cracking as he spoke. He clutched Sakura's body even closer, "That's the whole thing that started this damn mess in the first place!"

"Revenge is all I know, Naruto." Sasuke replied, closing his eyes, a tinge of sadness filled his voice as he uttered these words. "It's all I ever will." He opened them up, revealing his Makengyo Sharingan. Naruto still sat there, and to the naked eye appeared to be mourning. He was, that was true, but Sasuke saw more than just that. He was talking to someone else. Someone who's evil made even Madara shudder.

*****

_I can give it to you, Naruto... All you have to do is ask for it. _This phrase echoed over and over in Naruto's mind. It was the Kyuubi's attempt to break out again, and something Naruto didn't want to have to rely on.

_I promised her I wouldn't._ He thought, _I can't break that promise to her, I won't! I said I'd be more careful..... What would she say now? _He closed his eyes, looking for a voice of reason he knew was in there. Naruto could feel Sasuke's presence, and knew he had used the Sharingan, but he still didn't want to use the kyuubi...

He laid Sakura's body down, gently brushing her face as he rose up to face Sasuke. He took the blade that he knew Sasuke had given him to defend himself, and looked him dead in the eye. "Let's go."

He screamed at the top of his lungs, slicing towards Sasuke's neck, every stroke would be a killing blow. It was too late for Sasuke, Naruto now knew this. Revenge was out of the question in his mind. If that was all this was, he would have already thrown in the towel. But this was far more personal, He had to protect the rest of the village, and he had to protect the memory that was Sakura. It was all that now mattered to him.

He kept swinging, each blow harder than the last, but Sasuke teleported out of his reach, just behind him and sliced through his back. Naruto screamed in pain. He noticed his movements had been slower since he was stabbed in the side. _Crap, I can't keep this up for much longer! I need to get out of here somehow, get into Sage mode!_

Naruto grabbed the ax Sakura dropped, hurling it with all his strength into the wall. It made a dent, but it was nowhere near big enough to let him out. He blocked a swipe at his head, them hurled Sasuke into the wall with a Rasengan. The Impact it left was even bigger than the ax. _THAT'S IT! _Naruto grinned, this was his ticket out of there. He threw the sword into the wall, watching it stick right in. He'd come back for it later, this was far from the time for a sword fight.

Naruto turned towards the other direction, receiving a blow to the face. Naruto's blood flew through the air, Sasuke had hit him dead on in the nose, sending him flying onto his back. Naruto got up, wiping the blood and sweat from his face. He looked around, trying to figure out just where he went. Sasuke appeared again, trying to swing at his head with his Katana. Naruto grabbed a Kunai, blocking the poisoned blade, and pushed him back. He threw the Kunai at Sasuke's eye, watching as he disappeared.

He came at him from the back, but Naruto already had a rasengan in hand. He shoved Sasuke back into the same spot he'd dented, making it larger. It was getting bigger, but it wasn't showing any signs of breaking through to the other side. Naruto wasn't sure how much time he had until the poison got to his heart, but he knew it wouldn't be long. He threw up a couple hand signs, making four shadow clones, and retrieved the sword. He blocked a blow to his head, landing a blow across Sasuke's left leg as he disappeared once more. The rasenshurikan the three powered up nearly hit Sasuke's head.

Sasuke laughed, "Someone needs to work on their aim."

Naruto let out a smirk, "That wasn't meant for you." He closed his eyes, opening them to reveal sage eyes. Sasuke was flabbergasted, turning around to see a hole in the wall.

Sasuke began to utter, "Oh cra-" He was interrupted by the fist of Naruto Uzumaki, and he wasn't quite keeping his cool the way he was supposed to. Blade in his other hand, Naruto was about to use another killing blow when Sasuke managed to teleport to another part of the area. The shock from the rasenshurikan shook the foundation, causing the building to crumble.

_Sakura!_ Naruto thought, quickly grabbing her body as he left the building. He set her down just outside of the building as it fell into dust. He scanned the area, able to pick up traces of Sasuke all around. _Dang it! He's moving too fast, I'm not getting a decent location on him! _Naruto griped the sword harder.

"SASUKE!!!!!" He shouted, "COME OUT AND FIGHT! YOU WANT YOUR BLASTED REVENGE? THEN COME AND GET IT!" He took a breath, waiting for the response. He received it with a blade that struck his own. He looked dead into the eyes of Sasuke, but instead of being caught in a genjutsu, he saw fear. Looking in the glint of the two locked blades, he understood why. He was using kyuubi chakra as well.

Sasuke struck at him again, this time he would land a blow across his neck. He managed to gash the back of Naruto's neck, causing him to scream. Satisfied, Sasuke watched as he fell to the ground. He caught Naruto into a genjutsu while he was down; he knew that the wound would heal quickly. "So, Naruto... What's it like being.. Alone?" He watched as Naruto fell to the ground, crying, curled up in a ball. Sobbing, crying out something under his breath, though he couldn't make it out... Sasuke raised his blade and prepared to stab Naruto's heart straight through his spine. _A fitting end for him... Say goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki!_

*****

Naruto sat alone, surrounded by only the sound of two things. One, the shriek that he heard so clearly a few minutes ago, and Two, his own voice mumbling the name of the shriek's owner. "Sakura," he uttered. He knew this was the end for him, he'd failed and would have to tell Sakura that if he was lucky enough to get that chance to see her again. Naruto shook his head, who was he kidding? He knew better than that. Chances are, he was headed straight to hell. Whichever way Sakura went, he wouldn't get the chance to see her again anyway...

A third voice came to him. _"Son..." _It said.

"Dad?" Naruto said, again hearing the voice of the 4th Hokage. There was no response. "You're that other voice, the one that told me those things, aren't you?"

_"Yes, I am." _replied the stranger, _"Tell me, Naruto, are you listening?"_

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

_"Simple, you haven't been. You've been fighting this fight all wrong. Your heart is in the right place, but you're going against what you said."_

"The fox chakra..." Naruto sighed.

_"Exactly. You're fighting in anger, Naruto. You have every right to be mad at Sasuke, but now you're turning this into a revenge contest!"_

Naruto looked at the floor. "I know... But what do I do? I can't do this on my own!"

_"I was hoping you'd realize that, son."_

"Why do you call me that?" Naruto asked, "Minato Namikaze's my father, not you."

_"You're right. He is, and I'm not. But I made you what you are today. Whether or not you realize this, you aren't just some random person, Naruto. You are special, and I've chosen to make you the Hokage for a greater reason than you could ever know."_

Naruto scratched his head, trying to figure out what the voice was talking about. There wasn't much for him to believe, but he thought back to the last time he heard this voice. _I know you better than you know yourself....I'll be with you every step of the way... _Sasuke was supposed to be using a genjutsu to make him feel alone... But he wasn't!

"I'm not alone... You've been with me the whole time?"

_"Of course. I told you I'd be here every step of the way." _

"Then why am I failing?"

The voice laughed, _"Simple, Naruto... You're relying on your own strength alone. Alone, you can do a lot, yes, but alone you are weak. I can help you, but you have to rely on me. It isn't going to be __easy, and people will hate you for it, but it's certainly easier than going alone. That's how your father __felt, anyway."_

Naruto thought about his words, about the last sentiment. He knew that his father knew of the voice, but he didn't speak in-depth about it. "Dad didn't talk much about you, said to not worry about it."

_"He didn't want to overwhelm you. As a matter of fact, he didn't want to interfere because this same conversation occurred between us not long before you were born. It's a more personal thing, Naruto. You're not your father, and he most certainly isn't you. But that's why I want to help you, because you are Naruto Uzumaki, just as he was Minato Namikaze. I care about you, Naruto. But there's little time, you need to decide. Are you with me, or against me?"_

Naruto gave it a fast thought, and nodded. "I'm with you. I'll do it your way, not mine. What would that be?"

_"Excellent. Get back out there, but fight with this purpose. Fight for the people you care about alone, don't make it a grudge match. This is a clean slate, and you face an avenger. You are a protector, Naruto. Go do just that."_

Naruto nodded, and closed his eyes, releasing all of his anger towards Sasuke. It wasn't easy, but he knew it was the right thing to do. _No more doing this my way.... _He thought, _Got it!_

*****

He opened his eyes to see Sasuke about to stab him in the heart. He rolled to the side, much to Sasuke's astonishment. Naruto slashed at Sasuke's arm, managing to leave a cut on his arm. Sasuke was totally shocked, seeing that he no longer had the sage kyuubi eyes, but something totally new.

_It's looks the same, _Sasuke thought, _but it isn't! His eyes... They're.... Gold?_ Naruto again went for his neck, but Sasuke teleported in time to avoid the blow. Naruto sensed where he would be next and ran as fast as he could to that place, running faster than he ever had. To the average observer, it looked a lot like the yellow flash's jutsu, but a tad slower, so you could actually see Naruto was running.

Sasuke reappeared, eyes totally shocked as he saw Naruto running, sword pointed towards him at a speed he'd never seen before. He braced for impact, receiving a blow to the heart. But the blade wasn't removed, and he opened his eyes to Naruto kneeling down, blue eyes looking at his. Sasuke coughed, a bit of blood coming out of his mouth.

"You...." he groaned, "Why don't you... finish me...?"

"Simple, Sasuke," Naruto said, "Because I don't want to kill you. I can help you, heal you, bring you back to Kohona!"

"But why would you do this?" Sasuke coughed again, "I took everything away from you, killed Sakura in front of your eyes! It-"

"Doesn't matter, you're my brother." Naruto began to cry when he mentioned Sakura, but he threw it off. He approached him, about to do a medical technique when Sasuke stopped his hand.

"Stop." Sasuke said, "Don't... Let me die... It's better this way....." He pulled something out of his pocket. "Here.... Take this.... I was saving it... For later.... I don't know how much good it will do.... It's been a while........ But-" He handed him a small glass bottle, a strange substance swirled around inside of it, "It should help you out if there's still time....." He smiled, closing Naruto's palm. "Consider this... A wedding present...." Sasuke laughed, closing his eyes as he took his last moments on earth to think about how much time he wasted. How everything that was important to him truly wasn't..... He'd made up for it here and now...

Naruto approached Sakura's body in Sage Mode, drinking the bottle of glowing blue stuff, believing it to be chakra. He placed a hand on Sakura's face, forming four seals. He focused all his chakra into his hand, praying that the jutsu worked. He began to feel weak, watching as his eyesight began to fade. He started to nod out when he saw Sakura's eyes begin to open. He removed his hand, exiting Sage mode, eyes back to blue, and fell to the side, face up. _Sakura......... She's..... Alive...... Good...... I can die..... Happy......_

_*****_

Sakura's eyes opened, leaving complete darkness, she shot up, noticing she was in a field, totally unharmed. She saw in the distance Sasuke, then immediately looked to her right, seeing Naruto lying on the floor, totally exhausted. _Wait, I'm supposed to be...... no... no... NO! _"Naruto!" She cried, looking at the boy she loved on the ground, dying. "Oh God, don't tell me you..."

Naruto nodded, a smile across his face, "I did... Sakura..... This is how it's supposed to be..."

Sakura held him up in her arms, clutching on to him, "No, NO! This isn't how it's supposed to be! You can't die!"

"Neither can you.... Sakura...." He said, eyes closing. "I.... Love you....."

Sakura held his head to her chest, stroking her hand through his hair, sobbing so hard she nearly stopped breathing. "I love you more, Naruto Uzumaki... Why did you have to...." She wiped the tears on her face, unable to contain her feelings whatsoever.

Faintly, she heard a voice say "Check his pulse... He'll be okay..." She did as she heard, and felt a faint heartbeat, and turned to see Sasuke smiling at her. She walked up to him, reaching out to heal his wounds, also meeting the same hand that stopped Naruto before her.

"He'll be okay after a couple days of your care, Sakura..." Sasuke said, "I need you to do something for me... Could you?"

Sakura nodded, seeing the Sasuke she and Naruto once knew once again in his deep dark eyes. "Whatever you need, Sasuke."

"Take care of my brother, for me.... Please...."

"I can promise that for you." Sakura said, giving him a bit of painkiller to ease his death.

"Good... Maybe I can find...... Peace after all....." He closed his eyes again, "One last thing.... Forgive me for missing the day.... Sakura Uzumaki..." He smiled, and his pulse stopped a few seconds later.

Sakura made her way back to the rubble that was the building and saw two pieces of metal glint in the rising sun. It was her and Naruto's headband. She thew up a couple seals and slammed her hand on the ground. A slug appeared, and she told it to send for help. She smiled as she went back towards Naruto. _Sakura Uzumaki...... I like the sound of that, actually...._ She turned towards Sasuke. "Sayonara... Sasuke Uchiha.... I hope you find that peace you're looking for...."

*****


	33. Epilogue

*****

Naruto Uzumaki opened his eyes, a bright flash ahead of him. He wasn't sure what the heck was going on, but last he checked, he was dead. He saw a silhouette in the stark white light, a light pink hue around the head of the person. He was starting to hear her voice, placing his hand in front of the light.

"Sa.. Sakura....? Is that you?" he asked, pushing himself upright on the bed frame. He rubbed his eyes and saw that it was indeed the same Kuinoichi he had fallen for so long ago now. "Are we... Dead?"

Sakura laughed, "No, silly... Far from it, you made it!"

Naruto's mouth dropped, "It.... What Sasuke gave me.... It helped, didn't it?" Sakura had a smile on her face, nodding. He looked to his right, he had no scars, and saw the time. "How long was I out?"

"About 12 hours, you really jumped back up from the jutsu.." She looked into the eyes of the young man, joy radiating from her emerald eyes. She sensed a bit of sorrow from Naruto, hinting her on exactly what she feared would happen.

"Did you bring his body back?" Naruto asked.

"No... I could only carry you, they're headed after it, but-" She saw Naruto wipe a tear from his eyes. _Sasuke... _She thought, _You really had a brother that cared...._ Sakura sat down on the bed, placing her left hand on his face, the other on his arm. "It's okay, Naruto... It's okay...." She wiped the tears from his face. "It's the memories that matter anyway... He believed in you, Naruto.. He died the same Sasuke we both knew."

Naruto nodded, "I know," he said as he sniffed, "I'm just going to miss him...."

"So am I, Naruto... So am I..." She held Naruto in her arms, rubbing her arm up and down his back. She had already had her moment, but that too had passed. Naruto was there when she needed someone to comfort her, it was her turn to be the one for him to lean on again. "I'm here for you, Naruto...." she said warmly, kissing his cheek."I always will be..."

*****

"So, he failed to kill the fool after all..." Madara Uchiha said, having heard the news from Zetsu. "Pity... We need to regroup. All of us."

"We already have," Kisame said, entering the room. "Face it Madara, we're weak. There's only three of us. With the Kages united, do you honestly expect this to work out?"

Madara chuckled, "You two have been out of the loop..." He pulled out a piece of paper, it was a list. One of names. "We have gained a new place of power." The other two looked at the paper, recognizing exactly where the nin were from.

"Kohona...."Zetsu said.

"Does this mean...?" Kisame asked, knowing good and well what the answer was.

"Yes," a voice said, "It does indeed." He walked out from the dark, chuckling as he removed the bandages from his head. He looked at Madara, "It's done, we let him out. He should have the body recovered within the hour."

"Excellent, Danzo..." He said, smiling at the success, "Excellent indeed. My friends, we need to return to hiding. It will be harder to keep quiet this time, but there can be no mistakes this time. The nine tails will only get stronger, and out ace in the hole won't be ready for who knows how long. Perhaps it will be a month, or it could be years. Whatever happens, we will have that final beast..." The three others nodded, understanding what needed to be done.

*****

A man approached the cold body that once was Sasuke Uchiha. He snickered, picking up the limp body. "You think it's still in there?" he asked.

"I _Know_ it's in there." a second voice said, both coming from the same body. "It's going to take some time, but I'm sure you can figure it out, right Kabuto?"

He smiled, pushing up his glasses. "Of course, Lord Orochimaru, it can be done with ease..."

*****

**END**

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